Compte A. And introduction of positivism to sociologyMain: - Kathy S.S., The Basics of Sociology, Greenwood Press, 2005 Additional: - Horowitz I. L., The Decomposition of Sociology, Oxford University Press, 1994
Международная образовательная корпорация HANDS OUT 1 Course: Sociology Department: Humanities Credits: 2 Semestr: 1 Lectures: 15 Seminars: 15 Academic year: 2015-2016 Timetable: Khakimova Elvira, Ph.D. associate professor
Topic of the lecture: Plan: 1. Sociology timeline of selected events and influential publications. 2. Antiquity, Enlightenment, father of sociology Comte A., 3. Introduction of positivism in sociology, 4. Marx K. and social inequality, 5. Sociologist in society and sociological imagination, 6. Careers in sociology. History of Sociology Sociology is rooted in the works of philosophers, including Plato (427–347 B.C.), Aristotle (384–322 B.C.), and Confucius (551–479 B.C.) Some other early scholars also took perspectives that were sociological. Chinese historian Ma Tuan-Lin developed, in the thirteenth century, a sociological history by looking at the social factors influencing history in his general-knowledge encyclopedia Wen Hsien T’ung K’ao (General Study of the Literary Remains). Ibn Khaldun (1332–1406), conducted studies of Arab society. The Enlightenment “was the first time in history that thinkers tried to provide general explanations of the social world. Writers of this period included a range of well-known philosophers, such as John Locke; David Hume; Voltaire; Immanuel Kant; Charles-Louis de Secondat, Baron de La Brède et de Montesquieu; Thomas Hobbes; and Jean-Jacques Rousseau. During the 1800s scholars began studying how society actually is and how social arrangements actually operate (how society “works”). Armed with this knowledge, they felt they could better attack social problems and bring about social change (Collins 1994, 42). These scholars became the first sociologists. The term sociology was coined by French philosopher Auguste Comte (1798–1857), who would become known as the “Father of Sociology.” He first publicly used the term in his work Positive Philosophy. Originally an engineering student, Comte became secretary and pupil to French social philosopher Claude Henri de Rouvroy Comte de Saint-Simon (1760–1825). Saint-Simon was an advocate for scientific and social reform. He advocated applying scientific principles to learn how society is organized. Armed with this knowledge, he believed he could ascertain how best to change, and govern, society to address social problems such as poverty. Compte A. And introduction of positivism to sociology Comte saw history as divided into three intellectual stages. 1.The first, or theologica l, stage included the medieval period in which society was seen as reflecting the will of a deity (god or goddess). 2.The second, or metaphysical, stage arose during the Enlightenment and focused on forces of “nature,” rather than God, to explain social events. 3.Comte considered his own time period the third stage, which he termed the positivistic, or scientific, stage. Comte introduced the concept of positivism to sociology—a way to understand the social world based on scientific facts. He believed that, with this new understanding, people could build a better future. He envisioned a process of social change in which sociologists played crucial roles in guiding society. The 19th and 20th centuries were times of many social upheavals and changes in the social order that interested the early sociologists. As George Ritzer notes, the political revolutions sweeping Europe during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries led to a focus on social change and the establishment of social order that still concerns sociologists today. Many early sociologists were also concerned with the Industrial Revolution and rise of capitalism and socialism. Additionally, the growth of cities and religious transformations were causing many changes in people’s lives. These “early founders of sociology all had a vision of using sociology” Sharing Comte’s belief, many early sociologists came from other disciplines and made significant efforts to call attention to social concerns and bring about social change. In Europe, for example, economist and philosopher Karl Marx (1818–83), teamed with wealthy industrialist Friedrich Engels (1820–95), to address class inequality. Writing during the Industrial Revolution, when many factory owners were lavishly wealthy and many factory workers despairingly poor, they attacked the rampant inequalities of the day and focused on the role of capitalist economic structures in perpetuating these inequalities. In Germany, Max Weber (1864–1920) was active in politics. In France, Emile Durkheim advocated for educational reforms. In the United States, social worker and sociologist Jane Addams (1860–1935) became an activist on behalf of poor immigrants. Addams established Chicago’s Hull House, a settlement house that provided community services such as kindergarten and day care, an employment bureau, and libraries. It also provided cultural activities, including an art gallery, music and art classes, and America’s first Little Theater. Louis Wirth (1897– 1952)built child-guidance clinics. He applied sociology to understand how social influences impacted children’s behavioral problems and how children could be helped by using this knowledge. During World War II, sociologists worked to improve the lives of soldiers by studying soldiers’ morale and attitudes as well as the effectiveness of training materials Sociologists are also responsible for some of the now familiar aspects of our everyday lives. Ex: sociologist William Foote Whyte (1914– 2000)improved restaurant service by developing the spindles that waitstaff in many diners use to submit food orders to the kitchen. Robert K. Merton (1910–2003)developed the concept of what would become the focus group, now widely used in the business world. Sociological perspectives are also the basis of many concepts and terms we use on a daily basis. Lawyers plead “ extenuating circumstances ” on their clients’ behalf, an acknowledgment of the sociological position that social forces influence human behavior; to talk about “ fighting the system ” acknowledges that social structures exist and influence our lives. Sociologists have also been actively involved throughout the civil rights movement. Ida B. Wells-Barnett (1862–1931) published and spoke out against lynching (execute illegally). Du Bois (1868–1963) was involved for most of a century in studying race and social activism. Gunnar Myrdal ’s An American Dilemma (1944) focused public attention on race. The voter-rights efforts of Charles G. Gomillion in the 1940s and 1950s were instrumental in the U.S. Supreme Court decision that defeated gerrymandering (manipulate the boundaries of an electoral constituency to favor one party or class) that had excluded almost all Macon County blacks from voting.
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