Theory

Introduction Social Darwinism emerged as a sociological and political ideology in the late 19th century, drawing heavily from the evolutionary theories of Charles Darwin, particularly his ideas about natural selection. While Darwin’s biological theories focused on the natural world, Social Darwinism applied evolutionary principles to human societies, economies, and politics. The Industrial Revolution and the […]

Introduction In philosophy the ‘dialectic’ was initially used by Socrates (470-390 BC), Plato (427-397 BC), and Aristotle (384-322 BC) as one of the main tool or method to know & understand the reality. In Plato’s dialogues one can observe that to understand any concept or idea, there is always a rigorous debate or contradictions between

Biographical Sketch of Alfred Schutz Alfred Schutz (1899-1959) was a renowned social philosopher. Born and raised in Austria, he found himself compelled to leave Germany in 1939 to escape the oppressive Nazi regime. Schutz pursued his studies in law and social sciences at the University of Vienna. His education was influenced by several renowned scholars.

Emile Durkheim, one of the founding figures of sociology, made significant contributions to the study of religion through his seminal work, The Elementary Forms of Religious Life (1912). His approach to religion was fundamentally sociological, seeking to understand how religion functioned as a social institution. Durkheim’s focus was on how religious beliefs, symbols, and practices

Introduction Giddens’ concept of modernity is based on the idea that modern society is undergoing a radical transformation that affects all aspects of social life. He argues that modernity is not a fixed or stable condition, but a dynamic and reflexive process that constantly reshapes itself in response to new challenges and opportunities. He also

Introduction The phenomenon of suicide is among the most disconcerting aspects of human existence, often leaving those left behind with more uncertainties than solutions. The motivations behind individuals taking their own lives and the origins of the pressures they confront remain elusive. Emile Durkheim’s study of suicide rates, as discussed in “Suicide: A Study in

Learn about Karl Marx’s monumental work, Das Kapital, which explores the exploitation of the working class by the capitalist system. Find out more here.

Karl Marx is one of the most influential thinkers in the history of sociology, and his concept of dialectic materialism is a central aspect of his political and economic philosophy. Dialectical materialism refers to the theory that human history is shaped by the interaction between the material conditions of society and the ideas, values, and

Contribution of Marx to Economic Sociology: Karl Marx (1818–83) was one of the pioneers in Economic Sociology. Marx had been trained in law (and in philosophy), but was self-taught in economics.

Karl Marx and Max Weber are two of the most influential social theorists of the 19th and 20th centuries. Both Marx and Weber were concerned with the nature of society, and both sought to understand the ways in which social institutions, values, and norms shape human behavior and experience. Despite their many similarities, however, Marx

The concept of a system is at the core of any discussion of Parsonian theory (Parsonian Social System). Parsons stated, “The concept of system in the action field as in others, has been central to my thinking from a very early stage.” His general theory of action, in which he gives his overall picture of

Durkheim and Functionalism Emile Durkheim (1858-1917) is certainly the most important sociological forerunner of modern functionalism. Comte’s influence on Durkheim and, in turn, Durkheim’s impact on Radcliffe-Brown and Malinowski were of crucial importance to its development. Parsons said that Durkheim was one of his most important intellectual role models. Similarly, Robert Merton states that Durkheim

What is Functionalism? According to “A Modern Dictionary of Sociology”, functionalism is defined as, The analysis of social and cultural phenomena in terms of the functions they perform in a sociocultural system. In functionalism, society is conceived of as a system of interrelated parts in which no part can be understood in isolation from the

Critical Theory and Frankfurt School: Although all the theorists discussed in this section provide a critique of contemporary society, the term critical theory is also associated specifically with the theorists of the Frankfurt School. The work of the older Frankfurt theorists only became well-known among English-speaking sociologists in the 1960s. However, Jurgen Habermas, the most

Marx on class conflict has argued that at any one time, it is the class conflict or struggle that defines the essential character of a society. It is the product of, first, the irreconcilable differences in interest between classes and, second, the fact that a class’s common interests will encourage its members to group together

Max Weber and Conflict Theory Max Weber was born into a prominent bourgeois German family. His father was an important member of the National Liberal Party, with a seat in the Reichstag (Parliament); his mother came from a wealthy but also intensely religious and cultured background. There was considerable tension in his parents’ marriage. As