SOCI 100A Chapter Notes - Chapter 2: Montesquieu, Social Darwinism, Anomie
Document Summary
Theory: a statement that tries to explain how certain facts or variables are related in order to predict future events. Thomas hobbes: people are responsible for creating the social world around them and that society could be changed through conscious reflection. Natural state: people exist the way animals do. John locke: g-d responsible for the emergence of society and government. Charles de montesquieu: people created society by agreeing to a social contract that then formed a government. Jean-jacques rousseau: natural state was first before laws. Philosophes: philosophers who advocated critical thinking and practical knowledge. Conservative view for a time when society was more stable. Organic analogy: viewing human society as being similar to an organism. Survival of the fittest: only the strongest survive. Natural selection: certain beneficial traits are passed on genetically. Evolution: how organisms adapt and grow to fit their environment. Social darwinism: societies evolve just like organisms do.