Sociology was derived from the Latin Socius which means friends, and Logos has the meaning of science. The beginning of the definition of sociology was published in a book with the title “Cours De Philosophie Positive" written by Auguste Comte {1798-1857}. In general sociology is better understood as a science that talked about society. According to expert Sociology is one of a number of social sciences (including economics, psychology and human geography) which attempt to explain and understand the behavior of human beings in society. (Haralambos & Holborn, 2008).
In order to explain the theory better, there is a need to define the terms of the theory for better comprehension. What is Sociology? The concept of sociology can be defined as the study of the human society, the organization of social groups, the social interaction of people and the meaning that people give to their social reality. Put differently, sociology is an “intellectual craft” a way of looking at all things social[ C. Mills , 26]. Because of the broad inclusiveness of its subject matter, sociology must consult other knowledge fields such as philosophy, history, political science, anthropology, economics and law.
It is therefore seen as a paradigm shift applicable to the sciences (Ball, 1978). The role of Niklas Luhmann in the development of the systems theory in sociology is aptly illustrated by Ritzer (2008) in his book ‘Sociological Theory’. Ritzer states that the chapter on systems theory would not have been possible were it not for the works of Luhmann. Luhmann’s theory of society is one of the most elaborate and it draws impetus from at least three theoretical backgrounds or pillars namely systems theory, theory of social evolution and theory of social differentiation (Albert, 2016). He established his theory of society as a response to Parsons’s approach to structural functionalism.
Science of Sociology There are a number of different definitions of ‘sociology’ and they all have the fundamental idea of “the ways in which society operates”. It can be described more formally as the study of the development, structure and function of human society. Sociology is unlike some other sciences, such as mathematics, where a series of propositions will usually lead to definite conclusions. Sociology is often defined as a social science because it deals with the ways in which human beings interact with each other. It looks at the ways in which people make decisions about other people and why they interact in that way.
This period was known for posing critical sociological issues without the possibility of their resolutions. The afore-mentioned resolutions came about more distinctly in the nineteenth-century. According to Alan, the early nineteenth-century sociological thought sought to define the social both in terms of society as a complex structural whole and in its relation with specific institutions (Swingewood, 1991). The science of sociology began in the search for explanations for social change and this has resulted in mainly three schools of sociology. These include: Early sociological thought, Classical sociological thought and Modern sociological thought.
According to dictionaries, sociology can be defined as “the systematic study of society and social interactions” (Open Education Sociology Dictionary 2013) or can be understood through its stems – socius (Latin) meaning companion and logos (Greek) meaning the study of (Abercrombie et al. 2006). Although these definitions are not incorrect, sociology is much more complex. In my essay, I am going to examine the question of what sociology is more closely by looking at what sociologists seek to understand, what the sociological perspective is, the skills sociologists utilise to learn about the world and how sociology actually affects and impacts the societies we live in. The Scope of Sociology: What is it that sociologists seek to understand?
Introduction Sociology is the study of the society systematically; it contains the order of relationship of social, culture and communication of society. Before the development of Sociology, the society’s study was conducted in unsystematic method. It is only possible the systematic study of society by the sociology study. Studying sociology is necessary to learn about the society’s factors and institutions and their impact on population and individual. It is only possible by systematic study of sociology about the study of factors of society and great institutions.
I would like to begin this essay by agreeing with the above statement. Sociology began in the 19th century in order to try understand the movement from a traditional society to a modern society. In sociology we study the ideas and opinions of Karl Marx. His ideas along with many others are still relevant in the world today. Sociology is defined as “the scientific study of human life, social groups, whole societies and the human world such as.” It is a fascinating subject as it studies the way in which we behave as human beings.
For Luhmann, a theory of society refers to a sociology theory which is able to account for all societal phenomena. Luhmann thought sociology is influenced by theory crisis. Empirical research’s, though it has been successful in increasing knowledge, has not been able to produce a unified theory for the discipline. Luhmann tried to revitalize the idea of a universal sociological theory, which would allow sociology to describe modern society more precise in all its dimensions. Luhmann believed that sociology could progress with a new grand theory, theoretical edifice.
The main aim of Sociology lies in the learning about the ways of people behavior, analyzing it and forming general laws about it. Sociology helps to understand the way people think and act. As well as the object of Sociology is the society as a whole it is very difficult to study it as all the members of society are individuals with their peculiar features and habits who contribute to the whole and who, at the end, form a united group of people with harmonious character. Sociology is the science which deals with great number of different concepts such as society, community, culture, social groups, status, conflict, law, customs integration, social distance and a lot of others. The concept I would like to describe in my essay is values.