Introduction to Sociology

Zainab Bashir UCP Fall 2013 SOCIETY

Society
Society: People who interact in a defined territory and share culture. In sociology, four diverse perspectives on what accounts for social change and societal evolution are considered important:
Gerhard Lenski: Society and technology Karl Marx: Society in conflict Max Weber: The power of ideas shapes society Emile Durkheim: How traditional and modern societies hang together

Gerhard Lenski
Sociocultural Evolution: The changes that occur as a society gains new technology.
Inventing/adopting new technology causes society to change The more technology a society has, the faster it changes

Societies range from simple to the technologically complex. Societies simple in technology tend to resemble one another. They can only support small numbers of people who live simple lives. More technologically complex societies reveal striking cultural diversity and are able to sustain large numbers of people who are engaged in a diverse division of labor.

Lenskis Five Types Of Societies

Hunting and Gathering
The use of simple tools to hunt animals and gather vegetation

Horticultural and Pastoral

Horticulture: The use of hand tools to raise crops Pastoralism: The domestication of animals

Agriculture
Large-scale cultivation using plows harnessed to animals or more powerful energy sources

Industrialism
The production of goods using advanced sources of energy to drive large machinery

Postindustrialism
The production of information using computer technology

The Limits of Technology

Technology provides no quick fix for social problems.
Poverty still remains a problem Peace and justice

Technology also creates new problems.

Lack of sense of community Nuclear weapons and their threat

It may end up harming the physical environment.

Exhausting natural resources

Karl Marx
Social Conflict: Struggle between segments of society over valued resources
Capitalists: People who own and operate factories and other businesses in pursuit of profits Proletariat: People who sell their productive labor for wages

These two groups are in conflict, gain of one is loss of the other.
Social Institutions: All the major spheres of social life or societal subsystems organized to meet human needs
Infrastructure: Societys economic system Superstructure: Other social institutions: family, religion, political

Economy is the social institution that lies at the base of the society.

Figure 4.1 Karl Marxs Model of Society This diagram illustrates Marxs materialist view that the system of economic production shapes the entire society. Economic production involves both technology (industry, in the case of capitalism) and social relationships (for capitalism, the relationship between the capitalists, who own the factories and businesses, and the workers, who are the source of labor). On this infrastructure, or foundation, rests societys superstructure, which includes its major social institutions as well as core cultural values and ideas. Marx maintained that every part of a society supports the economic system.

Karl Marx
Marx rejected False Consciousness, the explanation of social problems as the shortcomings of individuals rather than the flaws of society. Marx believed that the history of all existing society is the history of class conflictconflict between entire classes over the distribution of a societys wealth and power. Marx believed that workers must replace false consciousness with class consciousnessworkers recognition of themselves as a class unified in opposition to capitalists and, ultimately, to capitalism itself. Marx said the only way out of capitalism is revolution and remaking society Socialism.

Max Weber
Idealism: A philosophical approach that focuses on how human ideas especially values and beliefs shape society. It is not how people produce things but how people think about the world that differentiates one society from another

Two World Views: Tradition and Rationality

Tradition: Values and beliefs passed from generation to generation.
A characteristic of preindustrial societies Attachment with past and long-established ways of life Particular actions are labeled right for their long-drawn acceptance

Rationality: A way of thinking that emphasizes deliberate, matter of fact calculation of the most efficient way to accomplish a particular class.
A characteristic of industrial-capitalist society Present and future consequences of actions are considered Evaluation of input Vs return is the basic concern

Two World Views: Tradition and Rationality

Weber viewed both industrialization and capitalism as evidence of modern rationality, which is a part of Rationalization of Society: The historical change from tradition to rationality as the main type of human thought. The willingness to adopt the latest technology depends on a societys peoples world view and is a strong indicator of how rationalized the society is. Options are available but why do we make use of some and not others? E.g. Gamete donation, breast-milk donation.

Emile Durkheim
The key to change in society is expanding division of labour. Society is more than individuals.
Society has a life of its own, beyond our personal experiences.

Social Facts: Any patterns rooted in society rather than the experience of individuals.
Society has an objective reality beyond our own subjective perceptions of the world Examples: Norms, values, religious beliefs, and rituals These possess the power to guide our thoughts and actions

Emile Durkheim
Change from mechanical solidarity Social bonds based on common sentiment and shared moral values that are common among members of preindustrial societies.
Traditional societies based on moral consensus

Organic Solidarity: Social bonds based on specialization and interdependence, that are strong within industrial societies.
Modern societies based on functional interdependence

Key to the change is an expanding division of labor Specialization of economic activity

Four Visions of Society

How Have Societies Changed?
Gerhard Lenski
Changing technology

Karl Marx
Social conflict

Max Weber
From traditional to rational thought

Emile Durkheim
From mechanical solidarity to organic solidarity

Four Visions of Society

What Holds Societies Together?
Gerhard Lenski
A shared culture based on technology

Karl Marx
Elites force an uneasy peace

Max Weber
Rational thought that favours large-scale organizations

Emile Durkheim
Specialized division of labor

Are Societies Improving?

Gerhard Lenski: Modern technology offers expanded human choice, but leaves us with new sets of dangers.
Karl Marx: Social conflict would only end once production of goods and services were taken out of the hands of the capitalists and placed into the hands of all people. Max Weber: Saw socialism as a greater evil than capitalism, as large, alienating bureaucracies would gain even more control over people. Emile Durkheim: Optimistic about modernity and the possibility of more freedom for individuals, but concerned about the dangers of anomic feelings.

Thank You Questions?