Emile Durkheim : The Father Of Sociology

Karl Marx, Emile Durkheim, and Max Weber were three historical sociologists. Their views have become world renown and have shaped many ways of interpreting the social structure of many modern societies. This essay will take a glimpse into the three sociologists’ ideals and expose the similarities and differences they may have.

Sociology came into existence in the nineteenth century, a fairly new principle than other social sciences. Auguste Comte, a French philosopher, used the term sociology to study society in an approach different from other fields, and that it can be studied systematically. Its main focus is to study social structures by analyzing, evaluating, and critiquing the social aspects of society (Dillon 2014:12-13; 17). Classical sociological theories were mainly referring to works of Auguste Comte, Karl Marx, Herbert Spencer, Emile Durkheim, Max Weber, and some other more. The works of these classical sociological theorists gave ideas and inspirations to the modern and post-modern theorists in different parts of the world. One sociological theory is structural functionalism, a macro-level analysis. Emile Durkheim and Robert Merton are both functional theorists, classical and contemporary respectively. Being both functionalists, similarities can be observed in the theories that they have developed such as using the concept of anomie, a condition where there is absence of norms; there are some differences in their use. Additionally, Merton criticized most beliefs that classical structural functionalism had established.

Emile Durkheim, was a French sociologist. His theories and writings helped establish the foundations of modern sociology. Durkheim disagreed with most social theorists of the late 1800 's because they thought that individual psychology was the basis of sociology. Durkheim regarded sociology as the study of the society that surrounds and influences the individual. Durkheim explained his theories in his book The Rules of Sociological Method (1895). He says there is relationship between moral values and religious beliefs, which establishes unity in society.Emile Durkheim has long been viewed as one of the founders of the so called variables oriented approach to sociological investigation. Durkheim developed the theory that societies are bound together by two sources of unity. He called these sources mechanical solidarity and organic solidarity. Mechanical solidarity refers to similarities that many people in the society share, such as values and religious beliefs. Organic solidarity results from the division of labor into specialized jobs. Durkheim believed that the division of labor makes people depend on one another and thus helps create unity in a society. Durkheim studied thousands of cases of suicide to demonstrate his theory that a person commits suicide because of the

Emile Durkheim, Karl Marx, and Max Weber are all important characters to be studied in the field of Sociology. Each one of these Sociological theorists, help in the separation of Sociology into its own field of study. The works of these three theorists is very complex and can be considered hard to understand but their intentions were not. They have their similarities along with just as many of their differences.

Along with Marx and Weber, Durkheim is considered one of the founding members of modern sociology. He is also credited with making sociology a science through his application of scientific and empirical research. Durkheim believed that sociology should be seen as a science separate from other sciences such as psychology, by studying “social facts” objectively as things. (Kiviston, 2011)

Emile Durkheim on the other hand has often been called one of the founding fathers of sociology, his history of work includes that of the division of labor in society in which he first introduced the term “anomie”

Throughout his life, Durkheim has three main goals: establish sociology as a new academic discipline, analyze how societies maintain their integrity in the modern era, and lastly the practical implications of scientific knowledge. Durkheim’s contributions to social theory are expansive however the most impactful works were: The Division of Labor in Society and The Rules of Sociological Method. In his first work he introduced the concept of the breakdown of the influence of the societal norms on the individual, in his second work he stated what sociology is and how it should be acted out. Both of these works took social theory to a new level and they further help the individual understand his society.

Who are sociologists and what influences they have had? In this paper, we will discuss four sociologists: Karl Marx, Max Weber, Emile Durkheim and George Mead. They are all well-known and influential thinkers of their time who have greatly contributed to the current sociological approaches and studies. They differ in their theories, but all of them have a common goal to uncover the structural and social foundation of the society. What is society? How does it function? What drives the societal change? -are the questions that those four sociologists will try to answer through either an approach of “structuralism” or “agency”. Agency refers to individuals acting independently and making their own choices; whereas structuralism refers to the

The theoretical works of Karl Marx, Emile Durkheim and Max Weber still influence sociological theory. Though their works are decades old they still are a major part of what sociology is today. Though their theories can seem very different, there are some similarities. To become a great sociologist one most learn and understands how to use all sociological perspectives. To do this one must understand and use the different theoretical perspectives created by Marx, Durkheim, and Weber.

5. As discussed in my Paper Assignment, our society is shaped by our individual struggles. We as individuals have different experiences, environments and influences that are in a divergent state. Emile Durkheim’s The Rules of Sociological Method, discusses crime deviance from a functionalist point of view. Durkheim hypotheses crime is the “norm” and an attribute of humanity.

Durkheim was one of the most influential sociologists in relation to the functionalist theories which stated society consisted of a structural consensus with a collective conscience of shared norms and values. He argued in order to establish the meaning of society one must understand the structures and social facts. He highlights changes in society from traditional societies which were linked with mechanical solidarity consisting of small scale ties with little division of labour. This in turn created a strong collective conscience of unity in comparison to modern society where differences amongst groups are promoted in turn weakening social solidarity. This is due to rapid changes within society in which Durkheim emphasises is due to a complex division of labour. Durkheim then argues that due to the combination of enlightenment notions and a capitalist society a collective conscience of individualism and greed is created. (Jones, Bradbury and Boutillier, 2011, pp.62-64)

In the study of sociology, it is supported that in the processes of studying sociology numerous institutions should be covered to clearly define sociology. Amongst these institutions should be covered so as to clearly define sociology. Amongst these institutions the core principles of sociology and their interrelations would be found, in this context an opinion was founded on the basis of society. Society would form the most unique basis by which an analysis would be done; it would be used by sociology to explain why and how societies are different or similar. One core aspect of sociology is to center social relationships or social acts despite their institutional setting as explained by one of the founding fathers of sociology, Max Webber. Emile Durkheim however, had a different approach, which will be highlighted throughout this paper inclusive of the advantages and disadvantages.

There are many different perspectives on the growth of modernity. Society is constantly changing as more time passes by. People like Emile Durkheim and Max Weber both offer their own individual perspective on how the growth of modernity came about and how we have come to understand today’s society. In the 1890s period Emile Durkheim a sociologist, in France watched the transformation of society go from a ‘primitive’ stance into something more complex also known as ‘organic solidarity’. Max Weber a German sociologist on the other hand, his view was in regards to how the growth of government was a driving force in modernity to maintain order, organisation and administration of specialised functions. Both theses sociologists’ theories are

Durkheim is a highly influential name to remember when thinking of sociology. Durkheim’s mission was to develop sociology so it could be defined and to develop a method on how sociology should be used. Durkheim’s main concern in his career was primarily associated with how societies might preserve their integrity and rationality within modernised society, when things such as shared religious views and ethnic backgrounds are seen as things of the past. In relation to Durkheim’s social realism his concern was with the growing individualism in society. Durkheim argues that we are in an era which is imperfectly moving towards a morality based on individualism as “Durkheim regarded individualism as a collective representation, a force that

Karl Marx, Max Weber and Emile Durkheim have had a great influence in the development of sociology. Marx’s “Capitalism”, Weber’s “Bureaucracy” and Durkheim’s “Division of Labour” have significantly created their own spots as major and famous sociological theories.