Summary Introduction to Sociology
By Angelique Doorakkers, 2020
1. Social Inequality
To what extent are scarce resources unequally distributed?
2. Social cohesion
To what extent do members of a society live peacefully
together?
3. Rationalization
To what extent is a society rationalized?
1
,1. SOCIAL PROBEMS .................................................................................................................... 4
1.1 SOCIAL PROBLEMS | 6 CRITERIA BY SCHUYT ..................................................................................... 4
1.2 THREE TYPES OF PROBLEMS: ......................................................................................................... 4
1.3 THREE LEVELS OF SOCIOLOGY: ....................................................................................................... 4
1.4 P-T-O EMPIRICAL CYCLE .............................................................................................................. 4
1.5 KEY QUESTIONS OF SOCIOLOGY ..................................................................................................... 5
1.6 TYPES OF RESEARCH QUESTIONS .................................................................................................... 5
1.7 CONCEPTUAL MODELS AND THEORIES ............................................................................................. 5
2. SCOTTISH ENLIGHTENMENT THINKERS .................................................................................... 6
2.1 SUBQUESTIONS OF ORDER............................................................................................................ 6
2.1.1 THOMAS HOBBES | PROBLEM OF ORDER ............................................................................................ 6
2.1.2 JOHN LOCKE | IMPROVES HOBBES’ THEORY ........................................................................................ 7
2.1.3 JEREMY BENTHAM | VIOLENCE BETWEEN CITIZENS | IMPROVES HOBBES’ THEORY ..................................... 7
2.2 SUB QUESTIONS OF INEQUALITY .................................................................................................... 7
2.2.1 ADAM FERGUSON | PEOPLE WHO OWN CAPITAL AND WELL-BEING ......................................................... 7
2.2.2 JOHN MILLAR | EXTENDED FERGUSON’S PROBLEM OF INEQUALITY ......................................................... 8
2.3 SUB QUESTIONS OF WEALTH | RATIONALIZATION .............................................................................. 8
2.3.1 ADAM SMITH | WHY IS ONE SOCIETY WEALTHIER THAN THE OTHER? ....................................................... 8
3. GENESIS OF SOCIOLOGY .......................................................................................................... 9
3.1 HENRI DE SAINT-SIMON (1760-1825) ........................................................................................... 9
3.2 AUGUST COMTE (ONE OF SIMON’S FOLLOWERS) ............................................................................... 9
3.3 ALEXIS DE TOCQUEVILLE (1805-1859) ......................................................................................... 10
3.4 HERBERT SPENCER (1820-1903; BRITISH) | SOCIAL-DARWINISTIC THINKING ....................................... 10
4. INEQUALITY ........................................................................................................................... 11
4.1 THE IDEAS OF MARX & ENGELS ................................................................................................... 11
4.2 CLASSICAL HISTORICAL MATERIALISM .......................................................................................... 11
4.3 CORE HISTORICAL MATERIALISM (PARADIGM) ................................................................................ 13
4.4 SOCIOLOGY / POLITICS / ECONOMICS ACCORDING TO MARX ............................................................. 13
4.4.1 SOCIOLOGY ACCORDING TO MARX .................................................................................................. 13
4.4.2 POLITICAL SCIENCE ACCORDING TO MARX ......................................................................................... 13
4.4.3 ECONOMICS ACCORDING TO MARX ................................................................................................. 13
4.4.4 KARL MARX – A SUMMARY ............................................................................................................ 13
4.5 DEVELOPMENTS HISTORICAL MATERIALISM ................................................................................... 14
4.5.1 REVISIONISM (BERNSTEIN) ............................................................................................................. 14
4.5.2 ORTHODOXY (REACTION ON REVISIONISM; SOMEONE HAS TO PAY THE PRICE) ......................................... 14
4.5.3 MODERN REVISIONISM: ELITE INEQUALITY (BURNHAM) ...................................................................... 15
4.6 NEIL FLIGSTEIN | FOUR TYPES OF CONTROL .................................................................................... 15
4.7 CONFLICT PARADIGM ................................................................................................................ 16
2
, 5. SOCIAL COHESION | ORDER ................................................................................................... 16
5.1 FORERUNNERS & ORDER PROBLEM .............................................................................................. 16
5.2 EMILE DURKHEIM 1858-1917 ................................................................................................... 16
5.3 CORE STRUCTURAL-FUNCTIONALISM ............................................................................................ 17
5.4 MAIN WORK DURKHEIMS .......................................................................................................... 17
5.4.1 SUICIDE ...................................................................................................................................... 17
5.4.2 DIVISION OF LABOR AND SOLIDARITY ................................................................................................ 17
5.4.3 THE ELEMENTARY FORMS OF THE RELIGIOUS LIFE................................................................................ 18
5.5 DEVELOPMENTS OF SF AFTER DURKHEIM ...................................................................................... 18
5.5.1 PARSONS | SOCIALIZATION THEORY ................................................................................................. 18
5.5.2 MERTON | ANOMIE THEORY .......................................................................................................... 18
5.5.3 TRAVIS HIRSCHI | SOCIAL CONTROL THEORY...................................................................................... 19
6. RATIONALIZATION | CULTURE ............................................................................................... 19
6.1 RATIONALIZATION ACCORDING TO WEBER..................................................................................... 19
6.2 MAIN WORK WEBER | METHODOLOGY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES ............................................................. 20
6.3 WEBER’S THEORY à RISE OF CORPORATE CAPITALISM ..................................................................... 20
6.4 MCDONALDIZATION | GEORGE RITZER ......................................................................................... 22
7. SOCIOLOGY OF DAILY LIFE ..................................................................................................... 23
7.1 TWO TYPES OF SOCIAL NETWORK ................................................................................................. 23
7.2 DISTINCTIONS BETWEEN SUBJECTIVE AND OBJECTIVE CULTURE ........................................................... 24
7.3 PARADOX OF MONEY ................................................................................................................ 24
7.4 SYMBOLIC INTERACTIONISM ....................................................................................................... 25
7.4.1 CHARLES HORTON COOLEY (1864-1929) ........................................................................................ 25
7.4.2 GEORGE HERBERT MEAD (1863-1931) ........................................................................................... 25
8. FOUR SOCIOLOGICAL PARADIGMATA ................................................................................... 26
8.1 CONFLICT APPROACH ................................................................................................................ 26
8.2 STRUCTURAL FUNCTIONALISM..................................................................................................... 26
8.3 SYMBOLIC INTERACTIONISM ....................................................................................................... 26
8.4 RATIONAL CHOICE THEORY ......................................................................................................... 26
8.5 EXAMPLES FOUR PERSPECTIVES: UNIVERSITY (SOCIAL PHENOMENA) .................................................... 27
9. MAIN THEORETICAL MODELS ................................................................................................ 28
9.1 UTILITARIAN INDIVIDUALISM (U.I) ............................................................................................... 28
9.2 HISTORICAL MATERIALISM ......................................................................................................... 28
9.3 STRUCTURAL FUNCTIONALISM..................................................................................................... 28
9.4 INTERPRETATIVE INDIVIDUALISM ................................................................................................. 28
9.5 COMPARING TRADITIONS ........................................................................................................... 29
3
By Angelique Doorakkers, 2020
1. Social Inequality
To what extent are scarce resources unequally distributed?
2. Social cohesion
To what extent do members of a society live peacefully
together?
3. Rationalization
To what extent is a society rationalized?
1
,1. SOCIAL PROBEMS .................................................................................................................... 4
1.1 SOCIAL PROBLEMS | 6 CRITERIA BY SCHUYT ..................................................................................... 4
1.2 THREE TYPES OF PROBLEMS: ......................................................................................................... 4
1.3 THREE LEVELS OF SOCIOLOGY: ....................................................................................................... 4
1.4 P-T-O EMPIRICAL CYCLE .............................................................................................................. 4
1.5 KEY QUESTIONS OF SOCIOLOGY ..................................................................................................... 5
1.6 TYPES OF RESEARCH QUESTIONS .................................................................................................... 5
1.7 CONCEPTUAL MODELS AND THEORIES ............................................................................................. 5
2. SCOTTISH ENLIGHTENMENT THINKERS .................................................................................... 6
2.1 SUBQUESTIONS OF ORDER............................................................................................................ 6
2.1.1 THOMAS HOBBES | PROBLEM OF ORDER ............................................................................................ 6
2.1.2 JOHN LOCKE | IMPROVES HOBBES’ THEORY ........................................................................................ 7
2.1.3 JEREMY BENTHAM | VIOLENCE BETWEEN CITIZENS | IMPROVES HOBBES’ THEORY ..................................... 7
2.2 SUB QUESTIONS OF INEQUALITY .................................................................................................... 7
2.2.1 ADAM FERGUSON | PEOPLE WHO OWN CAPITAL AND WELL-BEING ......................................................... 7
2.2.2 JOHN MILLAR | EXTENDED FERGUSON’S PROBLEM OF INEQUALITY ......................................................... 8
2.3 SUB QUESTIONS OF WEALTH | RATIONALIZATION .............................................................................. 8
2.3.1 ADAM SMITH | WHY IS ONE SOCIETY WEALTHIER THAN THE OTHER? ....................................................... 8
3. GENESIS OF SOCIOLOGY .......................................................................................................... 9
3.1 HENRI DE SAINT-SIMON (1760-1825) ........................................................................................... 9
3.2 AUGUST COMTE (ONE OF SIMON’S FOLLOWERS) ............................................................................... 9
3.3 ALEXIS DE TOCQUEVILLE (1805-1859) ......................................................................................... 10
3.4 HERBERT SPENCER (1820-1903; BRITISH) | SOCIAL-DARWINISTIC THINKING ....................................... 10
4. INEQUALITY ........................................................................................................................... 11
4.1 THE IDEAS OF MARX & ENGELS ................................................................................................... 11
4.2 CLASSICAL HISTORICAL MATERIALISM .......................................................................................... 11
4.3 CORE HISTORICAL MATERIALISM (PARADIGM) ................................................................................ 13
4.4 SOCIOLOGY / POLITICS / ECONOMICS ACCORDING TO MARX ............................................................. 13
4.4.1 SOCIOLOGY ACCORDING TO MARX .................................................................................................. 13
4.4.2 POLITICAL SCIENCE ACCORDING TO MARX ......................................................................................... 13
4.4.3 ECONOMICS ACCORDING TO MARX ................................................................................................. 13
4.4.4 KARL MARX – A SUMMARY ............................................................................................................ 13
4.5 DEVELOPMENTS HISTORICAL MATERIALISM ................................................................................... 14
4.5.1 REVISIONISM (BERNSTEIN) ............................................................................................................. 14
4.5.2 ORTHODOXY (REACTION ON REVISIONISM; SOMEONE HAS TO PAY THE PRICE) ......................................... 14
4.5.3 MODERN REVISIONISM: ELITE INEQUALITY (BURNHAM) ...................................................................... 15
4.6 NEIL FLIGSTEIN | FOUR TYPES OF CONTROL .................................................................................... 15
4.7 CONFLICT PARADIGM ................................................................................................................ 16
2
, 5. SOCIAL COHESION | ORDER ................................................................................................... 16
5.1 FORERUNNERS & ORDER PROBLEM .............................................................................................. 16
5.2 EMILE DURKHEIM 1858-1917 ................................................................................................... 16
5.3 CORE STRUCTURAL-FUNCTIONALISM ............................................................................................ 17
5.4 MAIN WORK DURKHEIMS .......................................................................................................... 17
5.4.1 SUICIDE ...................................................................................................................................... 17
5.4.2 DIVISION OF LABOR AND SOLIDARITY ................................................................................................ 17
5.4.3 THE ELEMENTARY FORMS OF THE RELIGIOUS LIFE................................................................................ 18
5.5 DEVELOPMENTS OF SF AFTER DURKHEIM ...................................................................................... 18
5.5.1 PARSONS | SOCIALIZATION THEORY ................................................................................................. 18
5.5.2 MERTON | ANOMIE THEORY .......................................................................................................... 18
5.5.3 TRAVIS HIRSCHI | SOCIAL CONTROL THEORY...................................................................................... 19
6. RATIONALIZATION | CULTURE ............................................................................................... 19
6.1 RATIONALIZATION ACCORDING TO WEBER..................................................................................... 19
6.2 MAIN WORK WEBER | METHODOLOGY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES ............................................................. 20
6.3 WEBER’S THEORY à RISE OF CORPORATE CAPITALISM ..................................................................... 20
6.4 MCDONALDIZATION | GEORGE RITZER ......................................................................................... 22
7. SOCIOLOGY OF DAILY LIFE ..................................................................................................... 23
7.1 TWO TYPES OF SOCIAL NETWORK ................................................................................................. 23
7.2 DISTINCTIONS BETWEEN SUBJECTIVE AND OBJECTIVE CULTURE ........................................................... 24
7.3 PARADOX OF MONEY ................................................................................................................ 24
7.4 SYMBOLIC INTERACTIONISM ....................................................................................................... 25
7.4.1 CHARLES HORTON COOLEY (1864-1929) ........................................................................................ 25
7.4.2 GEORGE HERBERT MEAD (1863-1931) ........................................................................................... 25
8. FOUR SOCIOLOGICAL PARADIGMATA ................................................................................... 26
8.1 CONFLICT APPROACH ................................................................................................................ 26
8.2 STRUCTURAL FUNCTIONALISM..................................................................................................... 26
8.3 SYMBOLIC INTERACTIONISM ....................................................................................................... 26
8.4 RATIONAL CHOICE THEORY ......................................................................................................... 26
8.5 EXAMPLES FOUR PERSPECTIVES: UNIVERSITY (SOCIAL PHENOMENA) .................................................... 27
9. MAIN THEORETICAL MODELS ................................................................................................ 28
9.1 UTILITARIAN INDIVIDUALISM (U.I) ............................................................................................... 28
9.2 HISTORICAL MATERIALISM ......................................................................................................... 28
9.3 STRUCTURAL FUNCTIONALISM..................................................................................................... 28
9.4 INTERPRETATIVE INDIVIDUALISM ................................................................................................. 28
9.5 COMPARING TRADITIONS ........................................................................................................... 29
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