...For Karl Marx, the stratification of social classes was the most significant source of societal conflict. Max Weber's definition of social class differs most notably from Marx's conception of the term in the sense that for Weber, social class and political class cannot simply be lumped together as a single entity. (Humanities) Weber viewed and defined social and political realms separately in an attempt to put emphasis on the unique dynamic that power possesses in its own right, apart from economic interests. Moreover, he wanted to highlight the irrational features of power by making it clear that the rational interests of a class are not sufficient to explain the dynamics of society, particularly when comparing one society to another. (Humanities). Marx has a much more optimistic view of conflict theory than Weber. Where Marx would say the proletariat have revolution as an ultimate recourse, Weber says we're screwed pretty much regardless. Marx does not consider inequality to be inevitable (not the natural product of human interaction, so man is not naturally flawed) and the major tenants of Marxism are towards a Better, more Just society (prescriptive goal of social science). Weber, on the other hand, distrusted human nature and saw inequality as inevitable. Our analysis of human interaction, in his opinion, should be value-free and non-prescriptive given such a nature In today's sociology, we tend to see the same three factors, although Marxist sociologists still emphasize...
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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 definitions of what religion...
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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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...Karl Marx Vs. Sigmund Freud: Were They Really That Different? It is safe to say that Karl Marx and Sigmund Freud can be classified as some the most highly intellectual men of not only their time, but possibly ever. These were men that viewed the world from a different lens then most people and through their views can be seen as revolutionary. This poses the question: Were these many really that different? Were they in fact similar? The answer to both is yes to a certain extent. Through the reading and in class lectures I formulate the opinion that both Freud and Marx saw some kind of conflict in society as well as man, they just approached it differently perhaps due to life experience as well as their schooling. Sigmund Freud, a superbly intelligent neurologist, believed that mans constant struggle could be directly related perhaps to a psychological conflict within their psyche. Marx on the other hand, a brilliant thinker and revolutionist, believed that society’s as well as mans pitfall could be attributed to economic struggles. As you can see Karl Marx and Sigmund Freud had very deep intellectual views on society and now I will go more in depth and pick apart both the beliefs. Karl Marx, An educated German thinker viewed society as well as human nature harshly. Marx, through writing the Communist Manifesto can be seen as a man who believed in equality and harmony, which he believed, could be achieved through government. Marx believed that through sharing we could achieve...
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...Karl Marx and Max Webber both many had many philosophies of the capitalism and its effects on society. Their ideas helped pave the way and expand on theories of previous sociologists. Both men have a deep insight of socioeconomic class in the origins and development of modern capitalism. This paper will analyze the impact of capitalism on society as perceived by both men and the areas in which they agreed, disagreed, and expanded on the ideas of the other. In many ways, the Weberian theory was “rounding out” Marx’s theories, working within the traditions of Marxian (Ritzer, page 26). Weber viewed Marxists as economic determinists who offered single-cause concepts on societal life (27). Marx’s material orientation and its effect on society was something that Weber did agree with completely. Weber had a strong belief that most ideas are what shapes an economy, while Marx believed that it is the economy (and the materials within it, help to define our ideas (27). Weber was said to have taken Marx’s ideas and, “turned Marx on his head” (27). The inverse relationship between Marx and Weber transcends into many tremendous ideas on capitalism and the effects on society. Both sociologists have unique ideas on the driving measures that led to the development and the rise of capitalism. One of Weber’s most famous works called the, Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism, dealt with the origins of capitalism and their “ethos”; ideas that are engraved into religious beliefs. Weber...
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...Marxist U1A2 Assignment Contributors to the field of Marxist Karl Marx (Marxism) - For Marx, production is essential for the advancement of society. Associated with the creation of goods there will be, eventually, a few individuals that will control the majority of the resources and their means of production. Louis Althusser – He was a French Marxist philosopher who had a strong following as a serious and intellectual interpreter of Marxism. (I thought it was interesting to put in a critique of Marxism therefore to see the critique of his theories.) Theorist | Theory Summary | Critique of Theory | Louis Althusser - | He was a French Marxist Philosopher his work is in the structuralism tradition. Althusserian Marxism is anti-economist and anti-humanist. His work is a move away from preoccupation with economic determination. Also Althusser also rejected the idea of a Marxist humanism. He wasn’t so much a contributor as he saw attacking the theoretical foundations of Marxism. | His workings didn’t focus on the individual worker it more examines the overall structure of society. Marxism looked at how the human productive power will be exploited in order to maximize profits for the rich. He presumed that humans are actually shaped by societal structures instead of the rich dominating the poor. | Friedrich Engels - | He was a German-English social scientist and a co-founder of the Marxist alongside Karl Marx. They believed one such subordinate class, the bourgeoisie, or merchant...
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...Capitalism vs. Socialism CAPITALISM HISTORY The history of capitalism can be traced back to early forms of merchant capitalism practiced in Western Europe during the Middle Ages,[1] though many economic historians consider the Netherlands as the first thoroughly capitalist country. In Early modern Europe it featured the wealthiest trading city (Amsterdam) and the first full-time stock exchange. The inventiveness of the traders led to insurance and retirement funds as well along with much less benign phenomena such as the boom-bust cycle, the world's first asset-inflation bubble, the tulip mania of 1636–1637, and according to Murray Sayle, the world's first bear raider – Isaac le Maire, who in 1607 forced prices down by dumping stock and then buying it back at a discount.[2] Over the course of the past five hundred years, capital has been accumulated by a variety of different methods, in a variety of scales, and associated with a great deal of variation in the concentration of economic power and wealth.[3] Much of the history of the past five hundred years is concerned with the development of capitalism in its various forms, its condemnation and rejection, particularly by socialists, and its defense, mainly by conservatives and libertarians. PRE-HISTORY OF CAPITALISM The Crisis of the 14th century and the "pre-history of capitalism" According to some historians, the modern capitalist system has its origin in the "crisis of the fourteenth century," a conflict between...
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...Introduction This paper will be discussing the several advantages and disadvantages to sociological change. It will cover how sociology helps people grow, if culture helps or hurts a society, and how Karl Marx influenced our understanding of sociology. Specifically, the social conflict theory will be referenced. Finally, we will talk about whether or not mass media helps the influence of culture and sociological thinking, and how one begins to understand their own social construction. How does sociology help individuals grow as people? It teaches us that we are all individuals and we are all different, and that we need to be respectful of everybody regardless of color, gender, religion, and culture. If you know more about human behavior, you can become good at recognizing lies, hand gestures, and body language that gives away emotions or feelings (Tennessee State University, 2015). Learning about Durkheim, Marx, Weber, and even Charles Darwin teaches a lot about humans and how we have come to understand one another. People hang around in groups, which can evolve into assimilation, believing the group to be one entity. If you happen to not be a part of that group, you are an outcast. Internalization is taking social norms, roles, standards, and values and injecting them into your own mind (Persell, 1990). Society is deemed...
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...there comes a point where they need the assistance of public officers who have the training and legal authority to handle a certain individual or situation. Although many of the individuals in the private sector have the same training as any public officer they cannot help in the situation because local laws set in place limit their authority. Although many states are starting to incorporate the private sector of security with the public side of it, it is a major work in progress. Private sectors do not receive the respect they deserve from the public because they do not have the same legal standpoint as public officers, with laws allowing private security the same authority as public officer a partnership could be works to have an officer in more square miles than there are now. If the public and private system join together and work with each other crimes could be solved faster and criminals could be caught faster. The separations of private and public security departments have been can be noted since the boom of private security companies in the early 2000’s and can be seen even before these years as private security has been around since the early 60’s, there are now major corporations dedicated to the private security sector who secure and manage numerous properties all over the countries and in causes such as Wackenhut Security company, all over the world. The evolving side of the private security sector has been in its guards and patrol units out in the public, almost every...
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...According to Conflict Theory, society is: • A struggle for dominance among competing social groups (classes, genders, races, religions, etc.). When conflict theorists look at society, they see the social domination of subordinate groups through the power, authority, and coercion of dominant groups. In the conflict view, the most powerful members of dominant groups create the rules for success and opportunity in society, often denying subordinate groups such success and opportunities; this ensures that the powerful continue to monopolize power, privilege, and authority. You should note that most conflict theorists oppose this sort of coercion and favor a more equal social order. Some support a complete socioeconomic revolution to socialism (Marx), while others are more reformist, or perhaps do not see all social inequalities stemming from the capitalist system (they believe we could solve racial, gender, and class inequality without turning to socialism). However, many conflict theorists focus on capitalism as the source of social inequalities. The primary cause of social problems, according to the conflict perspective, is the exploitation and oppression of subordinate groups by dominants. Conflict theorists generally view oppression and inequality as wrong, whereas Structural-Functionalists may see it as necessary for the smooth running and integration of society. Structural-Functionalism and Conflict Theory therefore have different VALUE-ORIENTATIONS but can...
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...Concepts and Theories in Politics Welcome to Introduction to Politics! This lecture will supplement what you will hear in class. I’m going to discuss some important methodological and substantive issues having to do with political science, including the role of concepts and theories, human nature and politics, and ideologies. If you need more background, I suggest taking a look at Sheldon Wolin, Politics and Vision; C.B. Macpherson, The Real World of Democracy; or Robert Dahl, A Preface to Democratic Theory. To begin with, in some ways it is a misnomer to speak of political “science.” One crucial difference between political science and the natural sciences is that in the latter there is normally only one dominant paradigm at a time, while in the former there are what might be called competing paradigms. As T.S. Kuhn establishes in The Structure of Scientific Revolutions, there was a paradigm shift from the Ptolemaic to the Copernican universe; in other words, from the idea that the Earth is the center of the universe we move to the idea that the Earth in fact goes around the sun, a radical conception when it was first put forward in 16th-century Europe but one that is now universally accepted. In the social sciences, however, there is no overriding consensus on how to analyze reality (or even on what counts as reality). In political science, for example, three major views may be distinguished on power and authority in the United States: (a) the pluralist model, in which...
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...inequality, helping to keep the poor satisfied by giving them hope of better times to come and preventing social unrest and revolution. Feminists see religion as a force for subordination and patriarchal oppression. This view is supported by evidence such as the differential treatment of women in religious congregations. Other sociologists argue that such evidence is out of date and that women are no longer the victims of religious oppression. Introduction Briefly explain the feminist view of religion– negative – patriarchy – conservative force. Briefly compare to the Marxist view as it is similar. Feminists show us the negative elements of religion but fail to see the good elements as argued by FUNC, NR and NM. Paragraph 1: FEMINISM vs FUNCTIONALISM Point: religion is patriarchal.-Oppression, making them invisible, controlling what they ca nand cant wear, form of social control.Prevents them from being sexualised, liberates women. Explain: concepts, key thinkers and examples Armstrong – Social construction, decline of...
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...Communism vs. Capitalism In Karl Marx's Communist Manifesto, he describes the Communists as the party that "fights for the interests of the working class"(136), while in a Capitalist society, the "living person is dependent and has no individuality-----only capital is dependent and has individuality"(84). That is not the case of today's society once you take a closer view at the comparison and contrast of communist Vietnam versus the democratic United States of America through their economy systems, educational systems, judicial systems, and the life style of their citizens in general. In a capitalist, democratic nation such as the U.S., freedom gives us just about everything and anything that the Vietnamese do not have under their communist government. Contrary to what Karl Marx has written in his manifesto, the living people of a capitalist nation (i.e. USA) of today are more independent and possess more individualities than ever. Economic-wise, Americans are the most progressive people in the world. The U.S. government is not directing the flow of its economy, but the individual businesses of its people are. These people have all the rights in the world to improve their businesses, as long as they are conducting them under the legal guidelines of the government. Such freedom in a capitalist society gives the Americans much greater advantages over the Vietnamese in improving economic conditions. When we touch upon the subject of education, only eighty percent...
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...Costing Method: The excel document title, “JET2 Task 1-4 Workbook” and tabs ‘Task 4 Cost-Volume-Profit’, and “Task 4 Activity Based Costing” is where the information is derived from and recommendations will be made based off of the information in these tabs. The excel document title, “JET2 Task 1-4 Workbook” and tab ‘Task 4 Cost-Volume-Profit’ highlights two unit costs methods: traditional and activity based. Each unit cost method will be analyzed and a recommendation will be made regarding which costing method should be used by Competition Bikes. Traditional method to figure out costs- this method computes the overhead cost of titanium bikes at $239,020 and the overhead costs of carbonlite bikes at $232,380 for a total overhead cost of $471,400 ($239,020 + $232,380= $471,400). Again this information was derived from the excel document titled, “JET2 Task 1-4 Workbook” and by clicking on tab ‘Task 4 Cost-Volume-Profit’ and by viewing the second half of the page, looking at the summary of traditional and carbonlite overhead costs. Once the overhead costs are known the direct costs for each bike will be added to that number. So for titanium bikes the direct cost is $402,300 plus the overhead cost $239,020= $ 641,320 for titanium bikes. For carbonlite bikes the direct cost is $447,000 + $232,380= $679,380. The $641,320 for the titanium bikes is considered the total cost and the $679,380 is considered the total cost for the carbonlite bikes. Take the total cost for each bike...
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...in France. He was called the Tankinois because the news of the retreat shook his government and forced him to quit. The French won allowing France to conquer the Gulf of Tonkin in China. Jules Ferry was a proponent of colonization. Why? The inferior race be civilized by the superior class (ethnocentrism). It is not racism by nature. It is a strange imperialism He has a genuine feeling that France had a duty to dominate/ lead the rest the world. This is why the France and US are always in competition because they both consider that they need to lead the world. Both France and England had the same idea of civilizing Africans. Kipling, “The White Man’s Burden”. The White man has to go to Africa and civilize it. The French ruled in a much more direct way than the English way. The English were in the colonies for money while the French had a bigger idea of civilization. They tried to create an elite in every colony: Ecole Normale in Africa. The elites would then go to France and be sent back to Africa to civilize the rest of Africa. However, that created an adverse effect since the African elites analyzed the French arguments and used their return to Africa as a way to denounce the French system/ education. Race in 19th century France: group of people not linked by color. Race was a feeling of belonging: the rural race. However, the term race is mostly associated with country: French, German, African race Phrenology: a pseudoscience primarily focused on measurements of the human...
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