Sociology is the scientific study of human society and social interactions. It examines how social structures, institutions, and processes shape our behaviors. Key early thinkers who influenced the development of sociology include Auguste Comte, Herbert Spencer, Karl Marx, Emile Durkheim, and Max Weber. Comte first proposed sociology as a separate science from other fields. Marx emphasized economic determinism and class conflict as drivers of social change. Durkheim studied how social integration and regulation impact suicide rates. Weber introduced the concept of verstehen to understand meanings behind human actions. Together, they helped establish sociology as a distinct academic discipline.

1. SOCIOLOGY
AND HUMAN
SOCIETY

2. What is SOCIOLOGY?
- Sociology is derived from the French word “sociologie”
coined by August Comte. The term is taken from the Latin
word “socius” meaning “partner or “group” and the Greek
word “logos” meaning “to study”.
- According to Hughes and Kroeler, sociology is the
scientific study of social interactions. It studies how people
interact with one another and how such interaction affects
their behaviors
-Sociology is also define as the “systematic study of social
life and behavior, especially in relation to social systems-
how they work, how they change , the consequences they
produce, and their complex relation to people’s lives” (
Johnson, 1996).

3. IMPORTANCE
OF
SOCIOLOGY

4. 1. Sociology examines the relationship between
the different structures and institutions in a
society and how it contributes the development
of individual members.
2. Sociology helps in the resolution of societal
problems which are believed to hinder society’s
progress and development.
3. Sociology serves as a tool in disseminating
information on what is happening around us.
4. Through sociology, human being’s culture is
greatly enhanced and cultivated. The individual
is able to adjust himself/herself to present
conditions that pave the way to for new
discoveries and inventions

5. 5. Through sociology, an individual is able to
understand the behavior of human beings in
a society. He/She is able to examine how and
why people act the way they do.
6. Sociology is able to rationalize the
existence of social groups as a factor in
social development.
7. Sociology is indispensable vehicle toward
world understanding. The world is divided
politically giving rise to stress and conflict.
People have failed to bring about peace.

6. Macrosociology- is a division of Sociology that
analyze social system and population on large
scale, and often , at high level of abstraction. It
can also be the analysis of large collectivities
(e.g. the state, social class, the economy,
culture, and society).
NATURE OF
SOCIOLOGY

7. BRANCHES
OF
SOCIOLOGY

8.  Socioeconomics – is the study of the
relationship between economic
activities and social life. Economics
focuses on wealth, trade, consumption,
and behavior patterns of society.
 Sociology of Education – is a branch of
sociology that is concerned with the role
and functions of the educational system
in a society.

9. Sociology of the family - studies
the very foundation of the family
as an institution and how it
relates.
Criminology – studies the nature
and causes of crime and deviant
behavior, the behavior and
activities of criminals, and the
criminal justice system.

10.  Sociology of religion- is concerned with
the role of religion in society, specifically
its practices, historical backgrounds,
developments, and universal themes.
 Industrial Sociology- tackles theoretical
and empirical issues and covers topics
such as spirituality and community, and
religion in multicultural societies.

11. Political Sociology – is the study of
the relationship between society
and politics.
Environmental Sociology - is the
study of the mutual interactions
among the physical environment,
social organization, and social
behavior.

12. PHILOSOPHICAL
THEORIES ABOUT
THE FORMATION
OF SOCIETY

13. PLATO
(429-347 BC)
He wrote The Republic
According to Plato, societies
are formed towards a
particular purpose. A human
being is not self-sufficient
because he/she is capable
of producing everything that
he/ she needs for survival.

14. The principle of specialization led Plato to classify
society into three classes namely:
 Rulers – are responsible in making decisions.
They must possess the virtue of wisdom,
understand reality, and the impartial in making
decisions.
 Soldiers – are tasked in defending the state
against threats to domestic and external
security. . They must possess the virtue of
courage, and be obedient in carrying out
orders despite personal risk.
 People- are the governed. They must exhibit
the virtue of moderation and the ability to set
aside personal desires for a higher purpose.

15. ARISTOTLE
(384-322 BC)
-He discussed the city (polis)
in his work entitled Politics
-He considered the city as a
natural community which had
prior importance than the
family, for he believe that the
whole ( city) is more than
important than its parts (family)
-He recognized the importance
of family because it creates the
structure of society in which
important goods such as
loyalty and duty and political
involvement are cultivated.

16. CONFUCIUS
(551- 479 B.C)
-He believed that it is
intrinsic to every individual
to be in the company of
other people, that is, in
society.
-It is only in society that an
individual will be able to
maximize his/ her full
potential. It is imperative,
therefore, to people to learn
how to behave in the society
where they belong.

17. He grouped people into five
relationship
1. Ruler and subject
2. Father and son
3. Elder brother and younger
brother
4. Husband and wife
5. Friend and friend

18. NICCOLO MACHIAVELLI
(1469-1527)
-An Italian Philosopher, historian and
founder of modern political science
-He wrote The Prince to serve as a
guide in ruling a region or state. In it,
he described a “good” society and the
guidelines for creating one.
-He believed that a representative
government is the ideal form of
government, but still insisted on the
possibility of forming a “good society”.
-For him, leaders must be both virtuous
and vicious. However, a leader must
learn how to disguise his vicious
characteristics and to highlight his
virtuous qualities.

19. THOMAS MORE
(1478-1535)
-He wrote Utopia in
1516, a narrative
depicting a kind of
society and its
religious, social
and political
customs. A Greek
word which literally
means, “no-place-
land.”

20. In order to achieve an ideal republic, the
following principles are introduced in Utopia
 Elimination of private property- All goods are
publicly owned and are distributed freely.
 Universal nature of labor- All people except a
handful of scholars and officials must work
and all must benefit from their communal
labor.
 The role of Moderated pleasure in social life-
The highest pleasure of its citizens are derived
by those who willingly sacrifice their own
happiness for the happiness of others.
 The role of family as the microcosm of state-
The family represents the state at its smallest
level in the individual lives.

21. THOMAS HOBBES
(1588-1679)
-An English Philosopher who
wrote the Leviathan which
became the basis of most
Western political philosophy
from the perspective of the
social contract theory.
-In Leviathan, he offered a
solution to enable people to
escape from the “state of
nature.”
-He added that the subjects
must endure the abuses of the
sovereign as a consequence of
attaining peace rather than go
back again to the state of

22. JOHN LOCKE
(1632-1704)
He is an
outstanding
English
philosopher and
physician, who is
widely known as
the “Father of
Classical

23. -He believed that the reason why men what to
abandon the ideal state of nature(the absence
of authority) is due to “inconveniences”
suffered by the majority of rational people.
-For him, the purpose of existence of civil
society is not for the governed to be directly
ruled and guided in order for them to live and
flourished. Although survival and prosperity
are the expected outcomes, the prime duty of
the government is to enact measures that will
protect the life, liberty, and property of every
subject

24. JEAN JACQUES
ROUSSEAU (1712-
1778)
-A Swiss philosopher who
wrote The Social Contact
and Emile, a treatise on
education.
-He suggested that for
humans to join together and
form a civil society by
entering into a social
contract. Part of this contract
is the abandonment of their
natural rights. By doing so,
the individuals can protect

25. JOHN STUART
MILL
(1806-1873)
-He was a British
philosopher, economist,
and civil servant, and one
of the proponents of
utilitarianism.
-In his essay entitled
“On Liberty”, he viewed
liberty as freedom of every
individual to do whatever
he/she pleases as long as
he/she does not harm
other people.

26. -Imposing something or compelling a person
to do certain tasks, or even declaring what is
wise or right for another person is treated as
interference to one’s freedom.
-Mill set a limit on the authority of the ruler in
order for the latter not to abuse it by making
decisions that could harm society.
-Mill believed that limiting the scope of
authority of the government was not enough.
He added “society can and does not execute
its own mandates: and if it uses wrong
mandates instead of right, or any mandates
at all things which it ought not to meddle.

27. PEOPLE BEHIND
THE
DEVELOPMENT
OF SOCIOLOGY
AS A SCIENCE

28. Auguste Comte
(1789-1857)
- He is a French
Mathematician and
philosopher who
proposed a separate
new science of society.
Comte discovered that
Adolphe Quetelet, a
Belgian mathematician,
had made use of the
term prior to him.

29. Herbert Spencer (1820-
1903)
- He is a British philosopher-scientist
who advanced the thesis that evolution
accounts for the development of social
and natural life. He stressed that
society is similar to a living organism
with parts working together in order to
survive. One of the guiding principles
of Spencer is that, society must adapt
to its environment to effect natural
change, which will inevitably bring
progress and perfection in society. He
is also known for his social evolution
theory.

30. Karl Marx
(1818-1883)
– He is a philosopher,
economist, and a social
activist , who stressed that
history is a continuous class
among conflicting ideas and
forces between parts of
society. He believed that
conflict between the haves
(bourgeois) and the have
nots (proletariart) is
necessary in order to
produce social change.

31. a. Economic Determinism- It means that
economic relationships provide the foundation
on which all other social and political
arrangements are built. He believed that family
structure, law and religion would developed
after adapting to the economic structure.
b. The Dialectic- Marx viewed change as a product
of contradictions and conflicts between parts
of society. He predicted that the conflict
between the ruling class and the working class
would lead to a new economic system.

32. Emile Durkheim
(1858-1919)
- Durkheim is a French
intellectual who devotes
himself in understanding the
stability and the importance
of social participation for
individual happiness. The
lasting legacy of Durkheim is
a theory that. According to
his classic study entitled
Suicide, when society over-
regulates and there is less
freedom, “fatalistic suicide”
occurs.

33. Max Weber
(1864-1920)
– Weber is a German
economist, historian,
historian, and philosopher. He
believed that to understand
the behavior of a person,
people have to understand the
meaning of the individual
attributes of that behavior.
Weber’s work was the basis
for
“Verstehen Sociology,” which
emphasizes the subjective
meaning of human actions.
“Verstehen” is a German word
meaning “understanding”.