8/9/2019 Some Quotable Quotes From Emile Durkheim

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Some Quotable Quotes from Emile Durkheim (1858-1917)

The Two “Ieal T!"es# i$ The Division of Labor in Society 

I. Initial Condition – Mechanical Solidarity

  A) Tribal “Segmental Societies (i.e., the horde, clan, etc.)- Based on Similarity

  B) !ternal Inde! – "e#ressi$e Sanctions (#enal la%)

  C) Strong Collecti$e Conscience (%ea& #ersonal conscience)- 'olme 'irtally all members a*ected- Intensity Belie$ed %ith general +er$or- "igidity Clearly dened concrete and s#ecic tradition- Content !#licitly religios

  ) Morality – /ri$ileges the good o+ society 

) Analogos to S#encer0s “militant1 societies and Tonnies2Gemeinschaft 

3see 4erbert S#encer, The Study of Sociology   (5675) and8erninand Tonnies, Community and Society  (5669):

;; Inde#endent 'ariable – Increased ynamicenerates ($ia ar%inian mechanisms) the di$ision o+ labor.

II. e#endent 'ariable – ?rganic SolidarityA) Modern “?rgani=ed1 SocietiesB) Bases on i*erenceC) !ternal Inde! – "estitti$e Sanctions (ci$il, commercial,

administrati$e, constittional la%)) @ea&ened Collecti$e Conscience (strengthened #ersonal

conscience)- 'olme More limited in the members a*ected

- Intensity Adherent to %ith less +er$or- "igidity Inchoately dened abstract and general conscience- Content Increasingly seclar “moral indi$idalism1.

) Morality – /ri$ileges the rights o+ the indi$idal (i.e., the “clt o+ the indi$idal1)

8) Analogos to S#encer0s “indstrial1 societies and Tonnies2Gesellschaft 

The %oral &roblem of 'ra$i Soliarit!/ro+ond changes ha$e occrred in the strctre o+ or societies in a$ery short time. They ha$e become +ree +rom the mechanical ty#e%ith a ra#idity and in #ro#ortions that are %ithot historical #arallel.

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As a reslt, the morality %hich corres#onds to that social ty#e hasregressed, bt %ithot the other de$elo#ing +ast enogh to ll thegrond the rst le+t $acant in or consciences. ?r +aith has beendistrbed traditions has lost its s%ay indi$idal dgment hasbecome +ree o+ collecti$e dgment. Bt on the other hand, the

+nctions that ha$e been dissociated in the crse o+ the #hea$alha$e not had the time to adst to one another, the ne% li+e that hasemerged as i+ sddenly has not been able to become com#letelyorgani=ed, and abo$e all it has not been organi=ed in sch a %ay as tosatis+y the need +or stice that has become more intense in orhearts.

- The Division or Labor in Society (567)

The I$i*iual a$ the +ore of Soiet!

At any gi$en moment the moral constittion o+ society established thecontingent o+ $olntary deaths. There is, there+ore, +or each #eo#le acollecti$e +orce o+ a denite amont o+ energy, im#elling men to sel+-destrction. The $ictim0s act %hich at rst seem to e!#ress only his#ersonal tem#erament are really the s##lement and #rolongation o+ a social condition %hich they e!#ress e!ternally.

  - Suicide(5679)

The Di*i$i,atio$ of Soiet!

So i+ it 3the totem: is at once the symbol o+ the god and o+ the society,is that not becase the god and the society are only one 4o% coldthe emblem o+ the gro# ha$e been able to become the gre o+ thisDasi-di$inity, i+ the gro# and the di$inity %ere t%o distinct realities

 The god o+ the clan, the totemic #rinci#le, can there+ore be nothingelse than the clan itsel+, #ersonied and re#resented to theimagination nder the $isible +orm o+ the animal or $egetable %hichser$es as totem.

  - The Elementary Forms of the ReligiousLife (575E)

The %oral uthorit! of Soiet!.Since it 3society: has a natre %hich is #ecliar to itsel+ and di*erent+rom or indi$idal natre, it #rses ends %hich are li&e%ise s#ecialto it bt, as it cannot attain them e!ce#t throgh or intermediacy, itim#eriosly demands or aid. It reDires that, +orget+l o+ orinterests, %e ma&e orsel$es its ser$itors, and it sbmits s to e$erysort o+ incon$enience, #ri$ation and sacrice, %ithot %hich social li+e%old be im#ossible. It is becase o+ this that at e$ery instant %e areobliged to sbmit orsel$es to rles o+ condct and o+ thogh %hich%e ha$e neither made nor desired, and %hich are sometimes e$encontrary to or most +ndamental inclinations and instinctsF theem#ire %hich it holds o$er consciences is de mch less to the

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#hysical s#remacy o+ %hich it has the #ri$ilege than to the moralathority %ith %hich it is in$ested. I+ %e yield to its orders, it is notmerely becase it is strong enogh to trim#h o$er or resistance itis #rimarily becase it is the obect o+ a $enerable res#ect.

  - The Elementary Forms of the Religious

Life (575E)

Soial Soliarit! a the E/a! of 0eliious 0ituals.?+ corse men %old be able to li$e %ithot gods, bt, on the otherhand, the gods %old die i+ their clt 3i.e., ritals: %ere not renderedFit is not the material oblations %hich bring abot this regeneration bytheir o%n $irtes it is the mental states %hich these actions, thogh$ain in themsel$es, accom#any or rea%a&en. The real reason +or thee!istence o+ clts, e$en o+ those %hich are the most materialistic ina##earance, is not to be sogh in the acts %hich they #rescribe, bt inthe internal and moral regeneration %hich these acts aid in bringingabot. The things %hich the %orshi##er really gi$es his gods are notthe +oods %hich he #laces #on the altars, nor the blood %hich he letsGo% +rom his $eins it is his thoght.

  - The Elementary Forms of the ReligiousLife (575E)

The o"e of 2ew Soial +orms i$ 0eliio$.In short, the +ormer gods are gro%ing old or dying, and others ha$enot been born. This is %hat $oided Comte0s attem#t to organi=e areligion sing old historical memories, articially re$i$ed. It is li+e

itsel+, and not a dead #ast, that can #rodce a li$ing clt. Bt thestate o+ ncertainty and con+sed an!iety cannot last +ore$er. A day%ill come %hen or societies once again %ill &no% hors or creati$ee*er$escence dring %hich ne% ideals %ill again s#ring +orth and ne%+ormlas emerge to gide hmanity.

- The Elementary Forms of the Religious Life(575E)