PPAS 4070 Chapter Notes - Chapter 2: Anomie, Social Stratification, Social Inequality
Document Summary
Key feature of durkheim"s theory of social development is premise that social inequality will be reduced as societies move toward greater division of labour. Anomie contrasts with durkheim"s assumption that ordinarily societies will develop in such a way that all elements of society adjust to social change. Durkheim favoured introduction of social contract as partial replacement for status. Durkheim favoured individualism, but not its manifestations of egoism and narrow self- interest. Legal order reciprocal part of wider social order. Holistic approach based on law, religion, society, forms of domination. Extent to which people conformed to legal order central concern to weber. Law best understood within matrix of forces: scientific, multi-causal approach to legal order essential if one is to truly understand complex evolution and purposes of specific legal systems. Noted that english lawyers oriented to commercial life in their training, so they reshaped laws to make them favourable to business interests.