Sociological PerspectivesThe “Big Five”

Auguste Comte Considered to be the founder of

sociology and coined the term Focused on social order and social

change Social statics – Processes that hold

society together (Family, religion, etc.) Social dynamics – Processes that

change society Believed they could be uncovered

through science

Herbert Spencer Believed society was made up

of parts Social Darwinism

Best aspects of society will survive

No steps are needed to correct society’s problems

Over time, the best societies survive (“Survival of the Fittest”)

Emile Durkheim Created first university sociology

course Concerned with social order (like

Comte) and believed society was made up of parts (like Spencer)

Each part has a function – The consequence that an element of society profuces for the maintenance of the social system

However, he believed you should only study features of society that are measurable (ex. Suicide)

Karl Marx Structure of society is influenced by

how its economy is organized. 2 classes in capitalist societies

bourgeoisie - owners of the means of production

proletariat – workers Believed this caused inevitable

conflict that would result in a proletarian revolution which would produce a classless society

Max Weber Interested in groups within

society, not society as a whole Verstehen – attempt to

understand the meaning of individual actions (see situations through others’ eyes)

Ideal type – The essential characteristics of a feature of society that are found by examining different examples of the feature (ex. Schools)