Classical Sociology

The four famously known theorists are Emile Durkheim, Max Weber, and Karl Marx. Each studied and viewed social behavior in a way they believed was the way it should be viewed; hence, they came up with different theories that categorizes society in many different aspects.

Sologoligist is about learning difference theories and thinking in difference ways. Looking at the bigger picture which becomes into a smaller picture just like social problems. The foundation of what sociology was build can all point to three European men Marx, Weber, and Durkheim the classics. If it anyone who sociologists build a foundation from its these men. In the article "Why is classical theory Classical? Connell, R.W 1997 questions the authentics of this foundation.

From Marx’s perspective, social class is identified as a group of people sharing common relations to the means of production that support their wellbeing (Marx, 1981). In his work, Marx focused on two antagonistic classes of capitalists and workers to demonstrate uneven distribution of material resources and exploitation power, also rooted in economic relations, within society. Hence, in the Marxian framework, social position could be treated as a unidimensional construct.

Emile Durkheim (1858-1917) and Max Weber (1864-1920) are widely considered as two of the “founding fathers” of sociology. They are important for their contribution to understanding society. A great deal of their contributions have had a lasting impact into how sociological studies are conducted. The difference between these two sociologist is their theoretical perspectives. Unlike Weber who belonged to the interpretive perspective, Durkheim belonged to the functionalist perspective.

Marx, in his conflict theory, argues that inequalities of power, wealth and status in the society are all the consequences of social stratification. In his opinion, there are two classes in the society, one possessing immense power and wealth, the ‘Bourgeoisie’, and the other who have minuscule or no wealth at all,

Marx highlighted the struggle between the powerless and powerful which resulted in different societal classes (Fook, 2002). Thompson (2006) states that society is made up of diverse people who make up societal structures and these structures determine and control the destitution of power and opportunities which results in layers of inequality and oppression to people who are marginalised.

Great thinkers, including Plato and Aristotle opened the doors to studying society; they based their thoughts on creating an “ideal society”. The science of Sociology was later developed in the early 19th century by Auguste Comte, who coined the word “Sociology”. He began to study society, using “critical thinking”. Comte believed that only by really understanding society could we begin to change it. In this Essay I will compare and contrast two major theoretical perspectives in Sociology. The Functionalist theory of Emile Durkheim and the Marxist theory of Karl Marx (Giddens, 2009, p. 72)

Karl Marx and Max Weber both agreed that capitalism generates alienation in modern societies, but the cause for it were both different. For Marx it is due to economic inequality in where the capitalist thinks that the workers worth nothing more than a source of labour, that can be employed and dismissed at will. This causes the workers to be dehumanised by their jobs (in the past, routine factory work and in the present-day, managing demands on a computer), which leads to the workers finding slight satisfaction and feeling incapable of improving their situation. It was noted by Marx four methods on how capitalism alienates workers. The first, is alienation from the function of working. People tend to work to meet their desires and to improve

Max Weber and Emile Durkheim are two of the three founding fathers of sociology, who are both famous for their scientific methods in their approach towards sociology. They both wanted their methodological approaches to be more and more organized and scientific, however because of the difference in their views on the idea of scientific, Durkheim’s approach tends to be more scientific than Weber’s. This is because Weber does not wish to approach sociology in the manner scientists approached the natural sciences and believes more in interpretive analysis, than observational analysis. In this paper, I will compare and contrast the methodological approaches of Weber and Durkheim and discuss how Weber’s approach is more historical and Durkheim’s

The key concepts that I will discuss in this assignment are the theories and ideas of Karl Marx on Alienation, Exploitation, Materialism and Class struggle. The objective of this assignment is to examine the literature written about Karl Marx in order to clearly present his main ideas and theories in relation to work and capital. In the second part of my assignment I will discuss what relevance these theories and ideas have in today’s world. Karl Heinrich Marx the philosopher and revolutionary socialist was born on the 5th of May 1818 and died on the 14th of March 1883. He was born in the city of Trier in Germany and studied law in Bonn University. He based his ideas and theories on social structure, economics and politics.

In this essay I will compare and contrast Marx and Weber’s theories on social change and the rise of modern capitalism. Firstly I will provide a brief outline of Marx’s theories relating to social change and capitalism. I will then briefly outline Weber’s theories on social change and the rise of modern capitalism. Finally I will give my own critique of the theories outlining which one I prefer and the reasons for my choice.

Conflict theory states that tensions and conflicts arise when resources, status, and power are unevenly distributed between groups in society and that these conflicts become the engine for social change. In this context, Marx’s conflict approach was developed in 19th century by Karl Marx (1818-83) .Marx argued wealth and power were unequally distributed in society and sought to explain how one minority group (1% ruling-class) in society maintained its dominance over the majority (working-class). Weber formulated a response to Marx’s theory. Weber saw that conflict didn’t overwhelmingly involve the economy, but that the state and economy together set up conditions for conflict. In this essay I will discuss the views of Conflict Theorists on

Classical sociological theories are theories with ambition and great scope that either created in the early 1800s and 1900s in Europe. There were many sociological theorists such as Herbert Spencer, Emile Durkheim, Max Weber, Vilfredo Pareto, Auguste Comte, Karl Marx was important in its Time and have played a significant role in the subsequent growth and development of sociology. According to the origins of British Sociology, the market economy is a source of order, positive force, integration and harmony in society. According to Jackson (2014), there was a small elite inevitably dominates society on the grounds of enlightened self-interest. On the other hand, the anomie, considered out of any specific social context, refers to the problems

Since the 17th century, people all over the world have been trying to figure out how society works and the ways in which people are influenced by their society. Traditionally, these questions were answered using superstition and myth (Henslin, 4). The “founding fathers” of sociology -Auguste Comte, Herbert Spencer, Karl Marx, Emile Durkheim, and Max Weber- all broke apart from the traditional ways of thinking and developed their own worldviews.

Sociology is defined as the study of humans, societies and social groups within societies. It is also said to be the ‘science of society’. The subject of sociology tries to help us to understand why we act in certain ways and that what may come across as inevitable may perhaps be shaped and moulded by historical events and processes. It is important as it helps us gain knowledge of the world in which we live and why certain things happen within this world. Patterns may also develop from the study of sociology. There are many difference aspects of sociology such as everyday human interaction to more serious issues such as international relations. Sociology helps us to understand our behaviours as social beings in this world. It is an essential subject as it enables us to have an awareness of societies within the world and different social groups. It also gives us an idea of how people react, why they react this way and conflicts between people. Sociology makes us aware of cultural differences and this allows us to gain many more perspectives on the social world around us. If we can understand how other people around us in the world live, we can better understand them and any problems had by them.