SOCIOLOGICAL THEORIES

1. SOCIOLOGICAL THEORISTS:
-Auguste Comte
-Herbert Spencer
-Karl Marx
-Emile Durkheim
-Max Weber
BY C Settley

2.  Positive philosophy: Positivism
 What does positive mean? (do you think of ‘good’ ?
Sunshine/roses/calming?)
 In this context it refers to certainty. Definite knowing.
 “the only valid knowledge is knowledge gained
through the scientific method”- A. Comte
 Through experimentation and observation.
 Comte looked back at how society got to his positive
stage.
AUGUST COMTE

3.  3 Stages:
 1) Theological stage (fictitious stage)
 2) Metaphysical stage (abstract stage)
 3) Positive stage (scientific stage)
 He believed that religion plays a lesser role in each of
these and science plays a greater role as it
progresses.
AUGUST COMTE

4.  1. Theological stage (fictitious stage)
 Religion without science
 Spirits, Gods etc
 Think about Game of Thrones….
 Things that they believe in……
AUGUST COMTE

5.  2. Metaphysical stage (abstract stage)
 An abstract power guides events in the world.
 Think about scientific individuals like: Isaac Newton
and Thomas Jefferson (an American Founding Father, the principal author of the
Declaration of Independence, and the third President of the United States)
AUGUST COMTE

6.  These people are scientific in their mind set but
believe in higher powers.
 Scientific religion
AUGUST COMTE

7. AUGUST COMTE
 ATHEISM- the only religion not to be
tolerated according to J.Locke:
 Lastly, those are not at all to be tolerated
who deny the being of a God. Promises,
covenants, and oaths, which are the
bonds of human society, can have no
hold upon an atheist. The taking away of
God, though but even in thought,
dissolves all; besides also, those that by
their atheism undermine and destroy all
religion, can have no pretence of religion
whereupon to challenge the privilege of a
toleration.
 Religion gives structure to the individual.

8. AUGUST COMTE
 3. Positive stage (scientific
stage)
 Final stage
 Look at things and draw
conclusions based
exclusively on science
 Scientific methods
 Disregards the metaphysical
principles
 Independent of religion and
metaphysics

9. AUGUST COMTE

10. AUGUST COMTE

11.  Evolution of the social organism=
evolution/development of the physical world,
biological organisms, human mind, human culture and
societies
 He contributed to a wide range of subjects (religion,
ethics, anthropology, sociology, psychology etc)
HERBERT SPENCER

12.  Acquired knowledge from friends and acquaintances
 He believed that the ultimate goal of societal
evolution is complete harmony and happiness.
 Spencer's theory of evolutionary change is built upon
three basic principles:
 1) integration (the bringing of people of different
racial or ethnic groups into unrestricted and equal
association, as in society or an organization);
 2) differentiation (to form or mark differently from
other such things; distinguish);
 3) definiteness (considerable variation in the
expression)
HERBERT SPENCER

13.  Homogenous phenomena are inherently unstable, which
makes them subject to constant fluctuations.
 These fluctuations force homogeneous systems to
differentiate, which results in greater differences.
 In other words, homogeneous systems grow to become
heterogeneous.
 He argued that people might think they deal with the same
issues as sociologists do; however, they are not trained to
adequately comprehend these issues. One of the ways that
Spencer believed sociology could become more legitimate
was for sociologists to study other disciplines, especially
biology and psychology. Biology could be linked to
sociology through the search for the basic "laws of life,"
understanding society as a "living body" and focusing on
human beings as the starting point of sociological inquiries
HERBERT SPENCER

14.  Functionalist approach:
 According to functionalism, society is a system of
interconnected parts that work together in harmony to maintain
a state of balance and social equilibrium for the whole.
 For example, each of the social institutions contributes
important functions for society: Family provides a context for
reproducing, nurturing, and socializing children; education offers
a way to transmit a society’s skills, knowledge, and culture to its
youth; politics provides a means of governing members of
society; economics provides for the production, distribution, and
consumption of goods and services; and religion provides moral
guidance and an outlet for worship of a higher power.
 The functionalist perspective emphasizes the
interconnectedness of society by focusing on how each part
influences and is influenced by other parts.
HERBERT SPENCER

15.  Studies society in a way of identifying the inequalities.
(Conflict theory).
 He believed that a society evolves through stages of which
the following 3 were the most important:
 Feudalism (the dominant social system in medieval Europe, in which
the nobility held lands from the Crown in exchange for military service)
KARL MARX

16.  Capatilism: minority (bourgeoisie/factory owner), majority
(proletariat/factory worker). Significant economic inequality
between these two groups. Marx believed this inequality would
fuel a change in society.
 Class consciousness: working class getting to the same wave
length.
 Thesis antithesis
synthesis
What do you think the synthesis would be?
KARL MARX

17.  Socialism (a political and economic theory of social organization
which advocates that the means of production, distribution, and
exchange should be owned or regulated by the community as a whole)
KARL MARX

18.  Believed that capitalism was productive as it made
countries richer.
 And in certain ways was liberating.
 Believed that the economic system was doing
something to people’s minds….it was literally driving
them to suicide.
 Once a nation became industrialised (developing of
countries), suicide rates went up. He made comparisons
with nations in his time.
 Suicide theory was to shed light on the unhappiness in
societies: mental distress created by capitalism.
EMILE DURKHEIM

19.  He tried to explain why people become so unhappy in
modern societies due to capitalism. 5 factors:
 Individuals
 Excessive hopes
 More freedom
 Religion. Atheism.
 Weakening of the nation and family
EMILE DURKHEIM

20.  What made capitalism possible?
 Religion: eg Catholics, Protestant ethics.
MAX WEBER

21.  Mukesh Mishra. Slideshare.net. Retrieved 12/08/2015
 KHAWAJA FAROOQ ABDULLAH. Slideshare.net.
Retrieved 12/08/2015