Outline the origins of sociology and consider whether it is still a relevant discipline to today’s world. - Sociology Essays

“Sociology is the scientific study of human social life, groups, and societies” (Giddens, 2005:4). Sociology has been studied for many years, despite seeming to be a relatively new science. According to T. Fitzgerald there are now groups of people within sociology who believe that Ibn Khaldun can be seen as the first sociologist, with his work dating back to the fourteenth century. Despite there being some people who believe that “sociology today is as fanciful as the alchemy of the Middles Ages” (Salter, 1996), there is a much greater proportion who still see it as extremely useful and relevant to today's society. Merely the fact that sociology is an extremely popular academic study could be seen as proof enough of it's relevance within the world today.

The Enlightenment period is seen by many to be the ignition of sociological studies. This period of time during the eighteenth century saw much progress, with the movement being used to encourage people to aim for greater wealth and happiness by dismissing conventional beliefs and superstitions (Giddens, 2005:19). During the same century we saw the French Revolution, which many see as a result of a combination of war in previous years and a weakened French economy. With Enlightenment beginning to spread its way through Europe, the majority of the population reached breaking point and began demanding more

equality and fairness in all aspects of their daily life. These two periods of time are seen as vital to understanding the origins of sociology, as so much progress within the subject was made. People began to see themselves as individuals, rather than just being part of a much larger system, for example simply being a labourer. The general population started to shun traditional beliefs in favour of new scientific evidence that gave clearer answers than simply using God. The ideas from the Age of Enlightenment can still be seen as relevant today with there being so much oppression worldwide, and many people not challenging themselves as much as they could do, or having the courage to use their understanding (Kant, 1784).

The Industrial Revolution is seen as the next landmark in the history of sociology. Taking place between 1750 and 1850, despite the term 'revolution' being used it was a time of gradual change. Discoveries abroad coupled with a wealthier population demanding these new found goods created a more stable and affluent economy. One particular industry that had a boom at the start of the revolution and continued throughout was that of cotton (Yahoo Encyclopaedia). In addition to this, due to an increase in the use of coal and iron during this period manufacturing across a broad range of industries rocketed creating villages and towns around the factories that were being built to supply an increase in demand. Because of the creation of more factories there was an incline in the amount of jobs available, increasing the overall

wealth of the population. In conjunction with the Enlightenment period a increasing number of academics began focusing their attention on society and the natural world (Giddens, 2005:10). Many see Auguste De Comte as the first sociologist, as it was him who coined the term sociology. He began his school of thought during the French Revolution, which can be seen in his thinking. Comte believed that sociology should be seen as a positive science, labelled positivism, in that it should be based upon the same ideas and rigorous testing that was applied to physics or chemistry (Giddens, 2005:11). In years following many other leading sociologists followed the idea of positivism started by Comte, such as Durkheim's work 'The Division of Labour in Society' (1893). Positivism is still used within today's society, with many sociologists using the method during their own studies and research.

Following Comte, many other 'Founding Fathers' of sociology emerged. The three most highly considered were and still are, Karl Marx (1818-83), Emile Durkheim (1858-1917) and Max Weber 1864-1920). Karl Marx never acknowledged himself as being a sociologist, and was primarily concerned with politics and economics. Despite this due to his connections between these institutes and their social connections his writings are of extreme use within sociology. Marx was “deadly serious about the importance of the social” (D MacRae, ed. T Raison, 1969:63). His main focus on the modern times saw him look at the way capitalism was developing, with the aspects of capital and wage-labour within this theory. Therefore although he was focusing on the economics of capitalism, he could not do so without seeing and noting the effects of this on the societies involved. Marx's works are becoming increasingly relevant over the years, with more of his work coming to light and being recognised as sociologically relevant. This is shown in people still aspiring to achieve a communist state as Marx saw it, that all people would be equal without the working and upper class imbalance. In addition to this many business owners worldwide aspire to his vision of production being more advanced and efficient (Giddens, 2005:17).

Emile Durkheim “devoted himself to the search for a new secular and scientific social ethics which would serve to bind the new French society” (J Rex, ed. T Raison, 1969:128). Like Comte he was interested in sociology as a science, believing that we should “Study social facts as things!” (Giddens, 2005:12). Unlike Marx however he classed himself as a sociologist and taught the subject in the Sorbonne (J Rex, ed. T Raison, 1969:128). His work into the effect of society on individuals has had a lasting effect on the sociological community, especially with works such as 'Suicide' (1897). This showed how the seemingly personal act of suicide still has social influences, using statistics gathered from France and Europe. The trend he saw was that different types of social solidarity resulted in different collective outcomes, for example that of more Protestants committing suicide as opposed to Catholics. Durkheim's beliefs and studies are still highly regarded today, with many sociologists aspiring to pose important questions such as he did.

Max Weber is similar to Karl Marx in that he was not labelled just a sociologist having studied a wide range of other topics during his academic career, from philosophy through to economics. Another comparison to Marx can be made with Weber studying and having an interest in

capitalism, although he rejected some of his stronger ideas, such as the materialist conception of history (Giddens, 2005:18). He saw the Industrial Revolution as a step towards rationalisation, which although a sign of progress he was also slightly hesitant about. Weber had a huge influence on the subject of sociology, being “more sophisticated and more experienced in the empirical testing of ideas” (J Madge, 1962:4), and is therefore still highly used and regarded today.

Proof that sociology is still a relevant area of study can be seen everywhere, especially within politics and the media. An example of this can be seen within recent legislation and news coverage of teenage pregnancy and motherhood. Despite youth pregnancy rates having been in decline since the 1970's today more than ever there is hype and concern over the issue. Sociologists can look at this debate in context to other periods of time, for example in the 70's pregnancies may have been higher, but many more of these were in marriages than nowadays. As sociologists we can look at how the trend has changed and also at its social context to see why it concerns people more now than ever. Debates such as this make it clear that sociology is becoming ever more relevant to our society and will continue to do so, for as long as societies exist there will always be room for questioning and analysing.