Discussion forum unit 1 sociology
Question: what do you make of Karl Marx’s contributions to sociology? What perceptions of Marx have you been exposed to in your society, and how do those perceptions influence your views.
Introduction
I thought the concept of sociology referred to how people socialize in communities. Little did I know that sociology study all aspects of life, including how society and people affect each other positively or negatively. I also did not know that sociology looks at what makes people exhibit behaviours that may deviate from the set norms and values of society.
What do you make of Karl Marx’s contributions to sociology?
Marx was an economist and viewed social events from a materialistic or economic perspective.
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He exposed the injustice and corrupt system characterised by capitalistic economies where the motives and intentions are to maximise profits at the expense of workers. The result was an income gap between the ‘haves’ and the ‘have not’. The gap grew wider as the owners of the factories became richer and the workers grew poorer, even though the workers were directly involved in the production of goods and services. Even today, this inequality results in social instability and conflicts in our society because of the uneven distributions of resources.
Feminism theory .
This is another sociological theory that addresses the emancipation among women because most socities look at women as objects of abuse.
According to women sociologist Martineau, feminist sociology has focused on power relationships and inequalities between men and women.How can the condition faced by women be addressed,(Little, 2014, p .31). Marx’s critique of capitalism and the feminist of patriarchy for example led to very interesting insights into how structures of power and inequality work, but from a point of view that sees only the most revolutionary transformation of society as a solution,(Little, 2014 , p. 32).
What perception of Marx have I been exposed to in my
Sociology is the study of social life and the change and consequences of human behavior. Human behavior is social in nature, the topic of sociology ranges from divisions of race, gender and sociology of work and sports. In my opinion, sociology is one of the few fields which have such a broad scope and relevance for breadth, depth and application.
Marx's concepts were thought to be so extreme that he was deemed a visionary to revolutionists and deemed a threat by leaders of state governments. Karl Marx held that social class dictated one's social life and who were the bourgeoisie and proletariat. Karl Marx's work has had a tremendous impact on the field of sociology in that his views set the stage for examining how one's social class has a first-hand impact on one's life experiences and life chances. Marx's work also opened the door for many differing perspectives on the issue of the wealthy and the poor in society. One of Marx's main points held that one's social class was the greatest predictor and dictated one's social life.
Sociology is a study of society social life, social change, and social causes and consequences of human behaviour and allows us to gain an understanding of the structure and dynamics of today’s society, looking at the interlinking links patterns of human behaviour. Sociology looks at the in which social structure and institutions affect our everyday life. Sociological imagination was founded by C. Wright mills in the 1950`s it is an overall understanding of that some of the things that happen in society may lead to a particular outcome. Mills said
There can be no doubt over the wide-ranging influence of Karl Marx’s theories on sociology and political thought. His concept of communism overcoming the socioeconomic pitfalls of capitalism has not been a theory that has seen the light of day in the way that he may have hypothesised. There have been many throughout history that have misrepresented Marx’s writing, which begs the question, if pure communism in the original Marxist sense is at all possible given that humanity appears to have an innate ‘need’ for hierarchy and a thirst for power.
Frederick Engels, a colleague of Karl Marx, believed that machinery will replace humans and steal their labor. Consequently, he believed that the way production is occurring will inevitably create cycles in the economy where there are highs and lows, booms and busts, which are even seen today. Businesses will hire many employers where they then create a surplus of goods. Afterwards, businesses will attempt to get rid of its employers, resulting in many people without a job and a surplus of goods. Because there is not enough workers to earn money, they cannot buy the goods that they produced themselves. Cash disappears because there are little to none of it in circulation, which leads to bankruptcies and factories closing down. Although machinery
Karl Marx’s critique of political economy provides a scientific understanding of the history of capitalism. Through Marx’s critique, the history of society is revealed. Capitalism is not just an economic system in Marx’s analysis. It’s a “specific social form of labor” that is strongly related to society. Marx’s critique of capitalism provides us a deep
The theorist I chose for my review paper is Karl Marx. I thought that it would be interesting to gain a deeper understanding of him, his theories, and a better understanding of the Bourgeois and proletariats. To understand Marx and his theories it is important to understand history and the evolution we have gone through throughout history. Marx gained perspective for what society means and what society should be by gaining a better understanding of civilization by studying the way that slavery, lord and serf relations, and guild-masters operated at functioned in society. By studying these ancient systems of society Marx was able to create a perfect system, communism, which in theory would create an equal and fair community with no
I think that Karl Marx’s is still controversial today because his theory of capitalism is still relevant in society because it continues to exist. Marx saw society as a struggle between the wealthy ruling upper class (the capitalists) and the working class (the proletariat). He predicted the huge income gap that would occur between the wealthy class and the working class. This huge gap continues to rise today in the United States and around the world. He also predicted the income for the working class would stagnate while the rich get richer. While his prediction of a revolution has not happened, the working class today is frustrated and wants equality and a better life for themselves as well as opportunities for their children. I think many
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.
Sociology is the study of the behavior of people and groups within society. This helps out how society works and thinks, If people understand how society thinks we can improve it. With this in mind, you can apply sociology theories and ideas to any scenario of daily life dealing with person to person interaction or even to an individual in regards to the society.
According to the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary (2010), Sociology is referred to as “.the systematic study of the development, structure, interaction, and collective behavior of organized groups of human beings” (para. 1); however, the transformable qualities of this science are not represented by this definition, as they should be. To best understand these changes, we must first consider changes within people as study objects; for as previously stated, Sociology changes in ways which are commensurate to changes in the world around it.
There are many of sociology's founding figures that have extremely well-built ideas, practices and studies that I could explore, but one renowned philosopher stands out amongst the crowd, and that person is named Karl Marx (1818-1883). In this essay I aim to explore and critically assess his ideas, theories, and studies in his contribution to sociology, and if his ideas, theories and studies are useful to this contribution to sociology.
Analysis of the Main Strengths and Weaknesses of Marx’s Sociological Thought “The history of all hitherto existing society is the history of class struggles” Marx and Engels (1967, p.67) Born in 1818, Karl Marx, using his philosophical and socialist ideas, attempted to show how conflict and struggle in social development were important in the development of a society. The works of Marx were influenced by three distinct intellectual traditions: German idealist philosophy, French socialism and British political economy. German idealist philosophy is an approach based on the thesis that only the mind and its content really exist. This philosophy maintains that it is through the advance of
Sociology is the study of how social forces influence individuals living within a society. Any society is made of norms, values and beliefs that have the effect of constraining individuals’ thoughts and behaviors. Through understanding and sociological imagination, individuals can remove or at least lessen the social forces’ impacts that are causing the constraints.
Marx became a major figure along with Weber and Durkheim in the development of sociology; however, sociologists within the United States did not recognize his work until the 1960’s. Many believe this dismissal of his work is due to the politics of his ideas instead of the educational value of his work.