PPAS 4070 Chapter Notes - Chapter 2: Dreyfus Affair, Scapegoating, Class Conflict

• School: York University
• Department: Public Policy and Administration Studies
• Course: PPAS 4070
• Professor: Naomi Couto

Document Summary

Chapter 2 classical theorists: durkheim, weber, and marx. Understanding of modern legal systems rooted in classical work of three european scholars of 19th century. Want to explain relation among law, economy, society, and politics. Emile durkheim: order theorist ideology that wants to preserve general contours of social system, covered diverse issues in sociological method, social cohesion, economics, and legal systems. Max weber: proponent of rationalized capitalist economic systems, argued against marxist-based doctrines of economic materialism and class conflict. Karl marx: revolutionary thinker who reformulated nature of principles of political economy, drawing attention to exploitation that he believed was inherent in capitalist economic systems. Concerned with religious influences in social life, studied many world religious systems. Believed in scientific approach to social life. Opposed psychological/metaphysical approaches to explain social behaviour, preferred empirical-based science of society: measurement, statistical analysis. Advocated greater justice in economic relations: adopted scientific outlook that was strongly reformist and revisionist.