SOC101Y1 Chapter Notes - Chapter 1: Generic Point, Industrial Revolution, Social Forces
Document Summary
It is the systematic study of human action in social context: how people interact with each other as they link in particular situations, institutions etc. It is based on the idea of our relations with other people to create opportunities for us to think and act but also set limits on our thoughts and action. Sociology is an elastic discipline that shares some elements in common with many other fields: history, philosophy, psychology etc. Underlying sociology is philosophy and its concepts: ontology: what is real, epistemology: how we know what we know. The scientific revolution (16th c. ) encouraged the use of evidence to substantiate theories. The democratic revolution (18th c. ) encouraged the view that human action can change society. The industrial revolution (19th c. ) gave sociologists their subject matter. These revolutions lead to the knowledge of what does it mean to live with other people in society ( a smooth way to live)
