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Theories Of Durkheim

Decent Essays

Émile Durkheim is widely considered to be one of the founders of the science of sociology. Towards the end of his book, The Rules of Sociological Method, he writes that “a science cannot be considered definitively constituted until it has succeeded in establishing its own independent status” (150), a statement that strongly suggests that with this work Durkheim is trying to “definitively constitute[]” (150) sociology as a science. Contrary to this sentiment, Durkheim appears to rely on already established sciences and scientific methods. Though he is definitely founding something new, Durkheim fundamentally relies on the methods of traditional science to give sociology credibility within the scientific community and beyond. One of the most obvious way Durkheim does this is through his use of heightened and scientific language. He describes sociological principles as being “empirical postulate[s], the product[s] of a legitimate induction” (Durkheim 149), and claims that one of the key characteristics of sociology is that it …show more content…

In showing the similarities between the two sciences Durkheim necessarily implies that sociology is as legitimate of a science as biology. In Chapter III, “Rules for the Distinction of the Normal from the Pathological” (144) Durkheim focusses on establishing the differences between what is normal and what is pathological in sociology by discussing how health and sickness are determined within the biological sphere. “Every sociological phenomenon, just as every biological phenomenon, although staying essentially unchanged, can assume a different form for each particular case” (147), therefor making every sociological phenomenon as real and as scientific as every biological phenomenon. This comparison also serves to separate sociology from philosophy, a distinction which Durkheim considers to be the first “characteristic[] of the sociological method”

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