Index Example of Sociological Evaluation Document Great founders who created the sociological foundation Comparison of basic sociological concepts Conclusion References Example of Sociological Evaluation Document Sociology developed in time until it becomes a science for research into key aspects of social behavior. Sociology developed from being simply an alternative way of thinking during the industrial and French evolution to becoming a full-fledged science. It was founded first by Auguste Comte and then further developed by multiple contributors including Karl Marx, Emilie Durkheim and Max Weber. C. Wright Mills developed “The Sociological Imagination” which includes the idea of ​​thinking and asking questions to understand sociological issues. This theory is used today to understand the difference between private and public matters. This essay will explore the origins of sociology and the founders who helped transform it into the science it is today. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essayThe origins of sociology can be seen as far back as the 1660s with the beginnings of the Enlightenment: the Enlightenment being the new reason-focused way of thinking that allowed society to usher in a new era of development in art, philosophy and in politics. “Sociology,” a term invented by one of the founders of sociology, Auguste Comte, is essentially the study of people in society (their structure, relationships, institutions, and behaviors). Auguste Comte is the founder of positivism, a system that focuses on empirical evidence to reach conclusions. Sociology became more prevalent in society with the French Revolution and the Industrial Revolution as the founders of sociology sought to understand how these changes occurred by studying people in society. Great founders who created the sociological foundation Karl Marx is one of the main founders of sociology and this is where the sociological theory of Marxism originated. Marxists believe that the working class should unite in revolution against the bourgeoisie to become the ruling class. The view of Marxism has its pros and cons. On the one hand it lends itself to a more equal society in terms of access to education and healthcare as well as gender equality, but on the other hand such equal opportunities tend to be present in a communist society supported by Karl Marx himself. The other thing to consider is that, despite all of Karl Marx's dreams of a revolution and a ruling class made up of the proletariat, so far nothing of the sort has come to fruition and therefore suggests that Karl Marx's idea of ​​such a revolution could really be a pipe dream. . Karl Marx is also responsible for developing conflict theory which focuses on competition between groups for resources. “Conflict theory, first proposed by Karl Marx, is a theory that society is in a state of perpetual conflict due to competition for limited resources.” Marx developed the theory to explain how the rich controlled the poor by controlling wealth and using it for power. One criticism of Marx's conflict theory is that it assumes that the employer and employee are in conflict when, however, in reality both can work together to benefit each other with schemes such as pension plans. Marx used macrosociology to reach his conclusions by looking at society on a larger scale, which, while it can be seen as an advantage in terms of acquiring information on a general basis, can also beseen as a disadvantage as macrosociology can overlook individuals which can sometimes lead to wrong or uninformed conclusions which Marx was sometimes criticized for with relationships between employers and employees being an example above. Emilie Durkheim developed functionalism. Functionalism is the idea that everything and everyone in society plays a role in maintaining society and is all important. Durkheim was also the first to explain the theory of consent. Consensus theory is the theory that people in society work towards the same goal and everyone in society can agree on how it is handled, which is the opposite of Marx's conflict theory. Instead of competing, consensus theory suggests that society is better off if we agree and work together. Because consensus theory highlights organizations in a positive way, one criticism of consensus theory is that it assumes that everyone within an organization will benefit and have a positive experience, which is not always the case, e.g. some may enjoy learning in school more than others. Like Marx, Durkheim's focus was on macrosociology. Macrosociology focuses on things on a larger scale, which is in line with Durkheim's approach as functionalism focuses on society as a whole. The downside of this, however, is that the individual gets lost in the reasoning of the actions. “Functionalism has been criticized for downplaying the role of individual action and for being incapable of explaining social change.” Finally, Max Weber developed the theory of social action which in summary is the theory according to which individuals perform acts with meaning. “Action was said to occur when individuals attached subjective meanings to their action.” Weber's theory suggests that it is the actions taken by individuals that determine their success and not their economic or social background. This focus on people's individual actions helps to emphasize the complexity of human behavior instead of grouping people into broader categories like Marx and Durkheim, however social action theory has been criticized for many reasons, including its failure to recognize all within society and not to see individual actions as something more passive than active. Weber uses microsociology to reach his conclusions by looking at society on a smaller scale, which, although it can be seen as an advantage as it is the key to gaining meaningful information, can also be seen as a disadvantage as microsociology cannot be applied to a broader context. concepts which can sometimes lead to oversights when considering the 'bigger picture' which Weber has sometimes been criticized for as although social action theory is known for using extensive research methods, the small scale of these methods may mean that they lack reliability when applied to the big picture. Comparing Fundamental Sociological Concepts When comparing these theories, a good example would be the contrast between Marx's conflict theory and Durkheim's consensus theory. The difference between these concepts is of course that, while Durkheim emphasizes the importance of social unity, Marx suggests that people are by nature more competitive. The similarity between these concepts is that some aspects of society must work together and Marx must recognize this as well. “Capitalists depend on labor to work in their businesses, just as workers depend on capitalists to provide wages.” Another thing to consider when doing research in sociology are the different sociological concepts: socialization, social order,