SOCY 122 Lecture Notes - Lecture 8: Mass-Observation, Natural Science, Technological Determinism

• School: Queen's University
• Department: Social Sci, Edu and Soc Work - Sociology
• Course: SOCY 122
• Professor: Rob Beamish

Document Summary

W8l1 socy 122 - weber and the classical. One of three founders of the classical tradition in sociology a modernist. Born into groups where collective representations (durkheim) or frames of mind (weber) dominate. Society as sui generis entity vs. a skilled accomplishment of agency. Social facts as things vs. interpretive understanding of social action. Religion, collective representations and social integration; vs political economy and ideas (religious meaning and elective affinity with material processes) But did not accept economic determinism of orthodox marxists. Sociology (in the sense in which this highly ambiguous term is used here) is a science. [wissenschaft] concerning itself with the interpretive understanding of social action and thereby with a causal explanation of its course and consequences. Action, social action and meaning central to his methodology. Wants to set up causal relationship, one that leads to an outcome. Action" signifies human conduct (whether overtly or covertly, by omission or acquiescence) that is associated with subjective meaning.