...Introduction This essay intends to explicitly compare Karl Marx and Emile David Durkheim ideas on religion from a sociological and functionalist perspective. Functionalists’ belief that religion is beneficial for both the community and its members e.g. it unifies the society which in turn gives each individual member a source of support when they need it. It will begin with their brief historical backgrounds, definition of religion as well as their similarities and differences in studying it. Karl Marx Marx was born in Prussia on May 5, 1818. He began exploring sociopolitical theories at university among the Young Hegelians. He became a journalist, and his socialist writings would get him expelled from Germany and France. In 1848, he published The Communist Manifesto with Friedrich Engels and was exiled to London, where he wrote the first volume of Das Kapital and lived the remainder of his life (Engels, 1869). Marx is considered as one of the founders of economic history and sociology. Emile Durkheim According to Jones (1986) “David Emile Durkheim was born in France, on April 15, 1857 and raised in a Jewish family with his father as a rabbi. Emile was, thus destined for the rabbinate, and a part of his early education was spent in a rabbinical school” (p.12). Durkheim is considered the father of modern sociology and well known for his work on Division of Labour in 1912. Definition of Religion Both Marx and Durkheim have rather contrasting definitions of what religion is with...
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...RESPONSE PAPER “Contributions made by KARL MARX, MAX WEBER and EMILE DURKHEIM to the research methodology used in social sciences” INTRODUCTION The paper mainly concerns the contributions of MARX, WEBER and DURKHEIM to the methodology in social sciences. The various methodologies in social sciences establish a connection with the societal implications which have a large impact over the society and its normative effects. Referring to the contributions by the following sociologists, all have a different and influential impact on the factors of society. The methodology of various sociologists reflects their attitude towards the society and its various customs and traditions. The following mentioned are the various methodologies adopted by sociologists in the field of social sciences. Marxist sociology emerged around late 19th/early 20th century, influenced by the thought of Karl Marx. Marx is seen as one of the most influential thinkers in early sociology, alongside thinkers such as Max Weber and Émile Durkheim. KARL MARX The theory propounded by Karl Marx is Marxism; in a nutshell it is the theory and practice of working-class emancipation. Marxism is also a method of looking at the world. One of the most important foundations of Marx's method was dialectical thought. Marx relied a lot on historical materialism and dialecticism to propound his theories in social science. Marx relied heavily on these two methods for...
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...varley@nuigalway.ie Course Description: The classical sociological tradition has been heavily dominated by the writings of Marx, Weber and Durkheim. Each of these three theorists has carved out a distinctive approach to the study of society and, in the process, has contributed substantially to our understanding of the transition from pre-modern to modern society. There are many who would argue that the ideas of these three classical figures continue to have much to offer to an understanding of contemporary society and politics. There are several possible ways to study the ideas of Marx, Weber and Durkheim. In this course we will attempt to take a thematic and comparative approach by comparing the views of Marx, Weber and Durkheim on a number of central topics. We will look therefore at their ideas concerning the methods appropriate to the study of society, their views on class and the division of labour, on democratic politics and the state and on culture, religion and ideology. Our discussion will begin with a consideration of what a ‘classical’ tradition might look like in the social sciences; and of why Marx, Weber and Durkheim merit inclusion as the most significant members within such a tradition. For a fuller appreciation of the classical tradition in social theory there is no substitute for a reading of the original writings of Marx, Durkheim and Weber. As these writings are very extensive, we will rely on a number of commentaries – principally those by Morrison and...
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...explores how individuals observe, act on and discuss their interests. Many sociologists have entertained the idea of this but I feel that there were 2 sociologists that really stood out and actively reflected this in their work Emile Durkheim and Karl Marx. As I stated earlier a key aspect of classical social analysis is how individuals "observe, and act on their interests", Durkheim reflects this in his work on how religion affects a person and their society. Durkheim was not interested in the religious experience of individuals but rather with the communal activity and the communal bonds that came as a result of participation in religious activities . C. Wright Mills stated that a classic social analysis " should entail concern with historical structures" which Durkheim addresses with his analysis of religion and how it affects those that indulge in it. Karl Marx also reflected the same characteristic Mills stated was vital in his work major contribution to sociology "Historical Materialism". Marx believed that it starts from the realization that in order for human beings to survive and continue existence from generation to generation, production relations will be created among people to survive and produce goods essential for man’s livelihood. Marx believed that this leads to division of labor and some people live off the work done by others by owning the means of production. ------------------------------------------------- Historical materialism shows Marx's concern with...
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...Introduction This essay intends to explicitly compare Karl Marx and Emile David Durkheim ideas on religion from a sociological and functionalist perspective. Functionalists’ belief that religion is beneficial for both the community and its members e.g. it unifies the society which in turn gives each individual member a source of support when they need it. It will begin with their brief historical backgrounds, definition of religion as well as their similarities and differences in studying it. Karl Marx Marx was born in Prussia on May 5, 1818. He began exploring sociopolitical theories at university among the Young Hegelians. He became a journalist, and his socialist writings would get him expelled from Germany and France. In 1848, he published The Communist Manifesto with Friedrich Engels and was exiled to London, where he wrote the first volume of Das Kapital and lived the remainder of his life (Engels, 1869). Marx is considered as one of the founders of economic history and sociology. Emile Durkheim According to Jones (1986) “David Emile Durkheim was born in France, on April 15, 1857 and raised in a Jewish family with his father as a rabbi. Emile was, thus destined for the rabbinate, and a part of his early education was spent in a rabbinical school” (p.12). Durkheim is considered the father of modern sociology and well known for his work on Division of Labour in 1912. Definition of Religion Both Marx and Durkheim have rather contrasting...
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... 1362 The aim of this study is to compare and contrast Marx and Durkheim’s theories of society and social change. Compare draw an analogy between one thing and another for the purposes of explanation or clarification: (Anon., 2013) Contrast the state of being strikingly different from something else in juxtaposition or close association: (Anon., 2013) In conclusion Emile Durkheim and Karl Marx challenged the aspect of social structure in their works. Emile Durkheim is known as functionalist states that everything serves a function in society and his main concern to discover what that role was. In contrast Karl Marx, a conflict theorist, emphases that society is a complicated structure characterized by inequality and conflict that generates social change. Equally Durkheim and Marx were bothered with the characteristics of groups and structures rather than with individuals. Durkheim employed the concept of social intergration in his study of suicide particularly in relation to the strength of social bonds between the individual and society. ( slide number Lisa Walshe 2006) Marx was concerened with class conflict.He saw that the concentrations of industrys wealth were increasingly in the hands of a few “in a society so rich how could so many be so poor” ( slide number Lisa Walshe 2006) Karl Marx (1818 – 1883) Capitalism has been defined as “first and foremost a system of economic production for a market organised...
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...explores how individuals observe, act on and discuss their interests. Many sociologists have entertained the idea of this but I feel that there were 2 sociologists that really stood out and actively reflected this in their work Emile Durkheim and Karl Marx. As I stated earlier a key aspect of classical social analysis is how individuals "observe, and act on their interests", Durkheim reflects this in his work on how religion affects a person and their society. Durkheim was not interested in the religious experience of individuals but rather with the communal activity and the communal bonds that came as a result of participation in religious activities . C. Wright Mills stated that a classic social analysis " should entail concern with historical structures" which Durkheim addresses with his analysis of religion and how it affects those that indulge in it. Karl Marx also reflected the same characteristic Mills stated was vital in his work major contribution to sociology "Historical Materialism". Marx believed that it starts from the realization that in order for human beings to survive and continue existence from generation to generation, production relations will be created among people to survive and produce goods essential for man’s livelihood. Marx believed that this leads to division of labor and some people live off the work done by others by owning the means of production. ------------------------------------------------- Historical materialism shows Marx's concern with...
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...to understanding disharmony and problems of folk in daily life. Also it is impossible to study with all people in society. Because of that you should understand that what disturbs person? You could not understand whether being harmony or happiness between people with continuity of production or maintaining work of daily life. Therefore, sociologists anatomize into social action and relationship between all people. But primarily you should know the human nature and its structures and its needing. Each analyzes would be lacking without involving human factors whereupon also Karl Marx and Emile Durkheim first of all examined people, their structures, their desires and their connections with the nature. Then they tried to understand society with this way and put in the picture at the back of events. Not only relationship people and nature but also relationship between people is important for Marx and Durkheim who interested in people’s station in society and they searched answer for some questions such as who is doing what? Who is upper than others? What affects the people? They concerns with these questions and within the scope of their study propounded two important notions which are alienation and anomie rise in the painful terms. They state something broken in society. In this paper, these notions will be explained as what these notions tell us and notions will be explained...
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...Marx, Durkheim, and Weber - A Contrast of Philosophies on the Sociological Benefits of Religion ABSTRACT Throughout the history of the study of sociology, philosophers and sociologists have been attempting to explain the true nature and origin of Religion as a social concept. In this paper, we look at the works of Karl Marx, Emile Durkheim, and Max Weber and their analyses of the origins of Religion and how society has impacted and shaped the concept of a religious life. Where Marx looked at religion and its exercise as a major aspect of the bourgeoisie class, Durkheim approaches from a purely scientific stance. Weber, however, approaches the sociology of religion from a more holistic viewpoint, discussing the soul, the mysticism and cosmology of religion, and the innate germ of religiosity within the human being just waiting to be activated. The Sociology of Religion encompasses so very much of an individual's existence that it becomes difficult to separate it from other aspects of life. This is exemplified most easily in the writings of Karl Marx who, as a communist, believed in an agrarian society where all individuals were equal and a panacea-type existence derived only from the need of one to another was lived. In Marx's "Communist Manifesto", he talked about how he believed that religion was something of the bourgeoisie who felt themselves elevated above all others in society. While Marx utilized the term "bourgeoisie" to mean the upper class and all capitalists...
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...In my opinion, of the classical sociologists, Emile Durkheim stands out as the most relevant to modern sociology. I believe that his first-hand exposure to societies shift into an industrial nature, although temporally brief, allowed him to a more comprehensive view of how sociology would impact the future. In addition, Durkheim through his writing sought to encompass the large picture of society through the concept of structural functionalism. By analyzing social morality Durkheim attempted to bring a greater understanding to how our day to day interactions were knitted into the social fabric. The rules of how we should and should not behave, have a clear bearing on our interactions with others as well as the development of others perceptions....
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...generis. Rejecting biologistic or psychologistic interpretations, Durkheim focused attention on the social-structural determinants of mankind's social problems. Durkheim presented a definitive critique of reductionist explanations of social behavior. Social phenomena are "social facts" and these are the subject matter of sociology. They have, according to Durkheim, distinctive social characteristics and determinants, which are not amenable to explanations on the biological or psychological level. They are external to any particular individual considered as a biological entity. They endure over time while particular individuals die and are replaced by others. Moreover, they are not only external to the individual, but they are "endowed with coercive power, by . . . which they impose themselves upon him, independent of his individual will." Constraints, whether in the form of laws or customs, come into play whenever social demands are being violated. These sanctions are imposed on individuals and channel and direct their desires and propensities. A social fact can hence be defined as "every way of acting, fixed or not, capable of exercising on the individual an external constraint." Although in his early work Durkheim defined social facts by their exteriority and constraint, focusing his main concern on the operation of the legal system, he was later moved to change his views significantly. The mature Durkheim stressed that social facts, and more particularly moral rules, become...
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...Sociology Assignment 1 Maninder Kular October 20, 2015 Sociological Theorists Emile Durkheim was a pioneer in sociology; his major focus was on social structure. He insisted, “Behavior must be understood within a larger social context, not just in individualistic terms” (Schaefer, 10). According to him the most important thing in life is a sense of belonging. The opposite of which is anomie- a feeling of isolation and loneliness. He would argue these are the worst things in life. Social attachments to others are important to avoid anomie. For example, religion reinforces a group’s solidarity because it is a form of group behavior (Schaefer, 10). Durkheim believed the industrial revolution caused anomie due to a change of pace in life. People became busy, and as a result there were less meaningful interactions. He believed modern capitalism caused anomie, and people who are unable to cope may resort to taking their own lives (Schaefer, 10). Therefore, he advocated the creation of social groups between the family and the state to provide a sense of belonging for members of a society (Schaefer, 10). Durkheim is linked to the structural functionalist perspective. Its main focus is on how people and institutions serve as a function. As long as every person and institution does this, there will be order and stability within society. This leads back to his idea that behavior cannot be understood in individualistic terms, but within a larger social context. He believed that...
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...CONTRIBUTORS IN SOCIOLOGY Auguste Comte-(1898-1857) He is considered as father of sociology. Comte was born at Montpellier, in France. He founded the philosophy of positivism, and originated a concept of social science known as sociology. Comte sought to discover the laws that he believed governed the evolution of the mind. In his six-volume work, The Course of Positive Philosophy (1830-1842), he framed his "law of the three states." This law advanced the idea that people try to understand phenomena in three ways. Comte believed that people first seek a theological (supernatural) explanation; then a metaphysical (abstract) explanation; and finally a positive explanation. The positive explanation is derived from an objective examination of the phenomena. Comte believed that students should concern themselves only with phenomena that have an objective, "positive," existence. This belief forms a basis of positivism. He also has given importance to "social static and social Mobility" and cleared that changes of society can be understood on these basis. His contribution in field of Social reconstruction is related to social welfare of human beings, which should be studied with social methods. Comte regarded all social thought as an interrelated whole, the laws of which can be found by assembling what he considered the facts. His ideas have influenced students of historical and social theory, and of criminology, and such authors as Herbert Spencer and John Stuart...
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...Five men in history, Karl Marx, Max Weber, Auguste Comte, Herbert Spencer and Emile Durkheim were known as the founding fathers of modern Sociology. Though from different time periods, their ideas and contributions reflected one another and showed great progression in Social Science. Auguste Comte was born in 1798 in France and had a significant part in the formation of sociology. Comte was the founder of French positivism and Comte can also be given credit for inventing or coining the term sociology. Herbert Spencer was born in 1820 in England and known as the second founder of sociology. Auguste Comte and Herbert Spencer were two of sociology’s first great theorists. Both Comte and Spencer studied society and the many ways in which people in society interact. Both theorists agree on certain issues pertaining to society and social science, yet they completely differ on their views of the function of sociology. Spencer and Comte both realize that there is an order of co-existence in society. Society itself is made up of several components and parts which are subject to change and progress, thus altering society as a whole with these changes. With regards to the function of sociology, Comte believed that sociology was important due to the fact that it acted as a guide for people in order to make a better society. Comte saw evolution as very important and believed that every society went through three stages. These include; the theological stage, the abstract stage and the...
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...socioeconomic tiers based on factors like wealth, income, social status, occupation, and power. Stratification is the relative social position of a person in a given social group. Functionalists such as Durkheim believe that class stratification exists because it is functional and beneficial towards social order and noted that societies are often characterized by a specialized occupational division of labour. According to Durkheim, members within a society are happy and comfortable within their position within the division of labour because there is a common agreement about how society should be organized which is referred to as value consensus. This also means that people accept social stratification as they see that different occupations should be graded in terms of their value to society and therefore those who have jobs which provide the most reward to society should in turn receive the most reward within a society. Durkheim also saw stratification as a benefit to society because it sets a limit to people’s aspirations and therefore people do not become overly ambitious and therefore disappointed when they are unable to reach specific goals. Instead, as the stratification system is regarded as equal and fair, people are contented with their position is society. However, Durkheim noted that there were some flaws within his argument as he saw that if people are unable to compete for jobs or specific roles within a job then moral consensus and solidarity could potentially break...
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