Four Visions of Society (Summary)

In many dictionaries society is described as a community of people living together in a group or nation. Even though it may simply mean that; society is one of the sociological terms derived from a Latin word “socious” meaning friendship or companionship. It is a large grouping sharing the same cultural, social and geographical location. Society consists of people and their mutual awareness and interactions with each other, it is a network of social relationships. Society can be shown as a group of unique individuals who share the same culture and social structure, the members of the society may have different ethnic groups but they share the same society. Society is not a constant it can never stay the same it always changes with the people.

It is important to understand that Weber believed capitalism was fuelled by ideas, such as Protestantism, specifically Calvinism. His belief was that Protestants were very different to Catholics, spending more time focusing on their community rather than purely focusing on their own individual families. They worked towards a common goal, to ensure they worked to their full potential. Weber claimed that Protestants experienced feelings of guilt and directed these negative emotions into their work which Weber called “The Protestant Work

Weber argues that religious beliefs contributed to major social change- specifically the emergence of modern capitalism in Northern Europe in the 16th and 17th centuries. Modern capitalism differs from capitalism as it is based on systematic, efficient and a rational pursuit of profit and profit for its own sake rather than consumption. Weber calls this the spirit of capitalism.

Two names that are repeatedly mentioned in sociological theory are Karl Marx and Max Weber. In some ways these two intellectuals were similar in the way they looked at society. There are also some striking differences. In order to compare and contrast these two individuals it is necessary to look at each of their ideas. Then a comparison of their views can be illustrated followed by examples of how their perspectives differ from each other.

Gerhard Lenski is a sociologist. He is mostly known for his contributions to sociology of religion, ecological-evolutionary social theory, and social inequality. He believed that technological advancement is the most basic factor in evolution of societies and cultures. Lenski focusses on the changes that happen as a society acquires new technology. He believed that the more technological information that a society has, the faster it will change. He labels five types of societies based on their levels of technology. The first of these societies are the hunting and gathering societies. These societies use simple tools to hunt animals and gather their food and vegetation. Lenski stated that at this level, groups are small, scattered, and usually nomadic, leading to fairly inefficient food production. The next society would be the horticultural and pastoral societies. This society bases technology on the use of hand tools to raise crops. Pastoralism is technology that supports the

The Communist Manifesto left a tremendous impact on a society that was rapidly becoming industrialized, and its effects can even be seen on the dominating economic system of the twenty-first century. In the later nineteenth century, however, industrial capitalism was on the brink of ruin. “On many occasions during the past century, Marxists have thought that capitalism was down for the count . . . Yet it has always come back with renewed strength.” Industrial capitalism succeeded in the face of communism, despite numerous economic disasters. As the capitalist economists hopefully noted at the time, these economic earthquakes, temporary in character, soon cured themselves and left capitalism unscathed. Karl Marx sought to create

Today many forms of societies exist. A society is a group of people that exist together in some form of community. All over the world at the present time many different societies exist. Nearly all societies contain systems of government, justice forming or authoritative powers to lead and shape its members. In western cultures around the world such as here in Australia systems on democracy are set up. These systems match the ideologies and social

The Industrial Revolution (1750-1850) had brought about significant changes in agriculture, mining, manufacturing, transportation and technology and subsequently established an era of unprecedented economic growth in capitalist economies. It was within this era that Karl Marx had observed the deprivation and inequality experienced by men of the proletariat, the working class, who had laboured excessively for hours under inhumane conditions to earn a minimum wage while the bourgeoisie, the capitalist class, reaped the benefits. For Marx it was this fundamental inequality within the social and economic hierarchy that had enabled capitalist societies to function. While Marx’s theories, in many instances have been falsified and predictions

Before the Neolithic Revolution, civilization had not existed because humans traveled in nomadic groups. However, the environment began to change and disrupted the nomadic lifestyle human’s had led. People constantly migrated to follow their prey and relied on their hunting and gathering skills to provide nourishment to survive, until they discovered farming, which later resulted in the development of group living. The development of agriculture and group living provided food surpluses, causing the development of trade and population growth. Soon after, the population growth and established trading system led to the division of labor, eventually creating a government system. The discovery of farming changed the way the nomadic people had lived; they had to settle down in communities for their crops to be able to flourish and this created civilized societies, because of this agriculture created a new system that would soon be used across the world, a Neolithic economy.

There are three specific ways to view the world from a sociological perspective. The first is symbolic interactionism, which emphasizes the social aspect of society. People develop symbolic meanings through social interactions. This theory analyzes the way society functions by looking at the meanings people place on objects, whether they are physical, social, or abstract. Another perspective is structural functionalism, which states that society is made up of interrelated parts that work together, and is structured to do the greatest good for the benefit of the most people. This theory views society as a complex system that works together to form solidarity and stability. Lastly, there is the conflict theory, which says that society is composed of groups that are involved in a constant power struggle, and even if outwardly it seems there is cooperation, there is always underlying conflict. There is an emphasis in using

Weber has been considered as an expert on origination of capitalism. His most famous work is The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism. Weber thesis regarding capitalism is rather considered as an argument counter to Marxist thesis (which was regarding primacy of base over superstructure). Weber discussed in his book that capitalism was resulted by Protestantism which was a religious movement or more specifically speaking Calvinism. However any Calvinist who has gone through catechism would have known that seeking a sign of selection by God in economic success, is not a right thing to do; therefore it is a travesty to Weber's thesis (Kilcullen, 1996).

The Industrial Revolution was the quintessence of capitalistic ideals; it bred controversy that led to Karl Marx’s idea of communism as a massive grass roots reaction to the revolution’s social abuses. Firstly, the Industrial Revolution featured the construction of machines, systems and factories that allowed goods to be manufactured at a faster rate with a lower cost. The seed drill made it so there could be “a semi-automated, controlled distribution and plantation of wheat seed”(Jones 2013). Secondly, there was a great social and economic divide between the wealthy owners and the poor workers, which gave rise to the mass’s vulnerability to the advent of extreme socialism. Figures of authority severely oppressed their employees by giving them insufficient pay, a treacherous work environment, and even making some children work more than 12 hours per day (Cranny 150). Finally, far right capitalism created a brutal boom and bust cycle of economics that made, for the multitude at the bottom, a perpetual nightmare of poverty and death. People responded to this social situation by taking part in violent protests; oppression sires rebellion. The Industrial Revolution was the chassis of great imagination and progress of political, economic, and social force that still affects this world today.

For Weber, the idea of rationalism rational thought based on societal efficiency and productivity, runs through his works particularly The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism. In this seminal work, Weber argues that the idea of Protestantism contributes to history and economics in that piety and the chance for a better life after death cause humans to strive for economic gain in certain ways, whereas that is not always using work as an expression of self - it is work, as Marx might say, for the ends justifying the means, rather than the means justifying what work is being done. Authority, then, rather than being solely economic, does have at its

Both Karl Marx and Max Weber assert that capitalism is the dominion of abstractions and the irrational accumulation of abstract wealth for the sake of wealth. For Marx, the state of capitalism is entrenched in the social classes to which people have bben assigned. Capitalism, according to Marx, is a result of the bourgeoisie 's ascent to economic and political power. This fuels the manifestation of a system that exploits the labour power of the lower socioeconomic classes for the gain of the higher socioeconomic classes. Weber understands the state of capitalism to be the end product of the work ethic of the Protestant branches of Christianity and the secularization of Protestant puritanism, which helped fuel rationalism. Capitalism, according to Weber, is to be understood as the relations and methods of production and commodities, now rationalized. Ultimately, Marx ascribes the ascent of capitalism to the exploitation of people and power, while stressing that such a system can be overcome by a communist revolution, whereas Weber states that such a system is the result of cultural choices and is not as convinced that capitalism can be overcome.

Weber was concerned to demonstrate, contrary to Marx's thought, that culture was not reducible to the economic aspect of a society. Weber insisted that culture was to be considered as an autonomous value-sphere of any society. We might define such a value-sphere as; "..a distinct realm of activity which has its own inherent dignity and in which certain values, norms, obligations are inherent." (Brubaker:1983) Not only is this value-sphere of culture autonomous but, for Weber, it has the ability to construct forms of economic activity! For Weber, culture is seen as an agent in the production and maintenance of social relations. For