SOC 100 Lecture Notes - Lecture 3: Harriet Martineau, Émile Durkheim, Auguste Comte
Document Summary
In the 18th and 19th century, faith in the ability for mankind to solve its problems and survive is k(cid:374)o(cid:449)(cid:374) as the . These early contributors set the stage for the birth of sociology. Comte and martineau discussed on s, page 15. These three classical sociologists set the foundation for our current thinking and understanding of sociology: O(cid:373)e of durkhei(cid:373)"s (cid:373)ajor (cid:449)ork fo(cid:272)uses o(cid:374) the for(cid:272)es that hold so(cid:272)iet(cid:455) together. People are glued together by religious rituals which sustain moral cohesion. Durkheim viewed society as larger than the sum of its parts. He saw society as an integrated whole with each party contributing to the stability of the system. Social facts, which are external to the individual, exercise constraints on individual behaviors. Marx is one of the most influential thinkers in history. He saw class as a fundamental dimension of society that shapes social behavior. Took social structure as his subject rather than the actions of individuals.