Early Sociologists
1. Auguste Comte (1718-1857)
- between 1830 and 1854, he outlined his theory that man’s intellectual development is an evolutionary process
- he advocated the idea of positivism or the use of empirical investigation to understand social phenomena
- he believed that social physics or positivism would be the key to humanity’s ongoing program
- he classified the the existing sciences into a hierarchy, placing the social physics as the “queen of the sciences”
- he believed that sociology was the means by which a more rational and just society could be achieved
- to him goes the credit of being the father of sociology, having coined the term sociology (Timasheff 1967)
2. Karl Marx (1818-1883)
- he reiterated that political revolution was vitally significant in the evolutionary process of society, the only means whereby the improvement of social conditions could be attained
- he believed that social conflicts, struggles and strifes were at the core of society and could cause social change (Jesser 1975)
- he said that all history was branded with economic determinism, that all change, social conditions, and society itself were based on economic factors and that economic inequality has resulted in class struggles between bourgeoise (the owners rulers) and the proletariat, the industrial workers
3. Emile Durkheim (1858-1917)
- he defined social phenomena as social facts that have distinctive social characteristics determinants, and social facts as “every way of acting, fixed or not, capable of exercising on the individual an external constraint” such as customs, laws and the general rule of behavior which people accept without question (Timasheff 1967)
- individuals are more the products rather than the creators of society
- he paid greater attention to the characteristics of groups, particularly the cohesion or non-cohesion of religious groups.
- He advanced social theory along with social methodology with his classic study on the incidence of suicide as it varied from one population to another and as it was influenced by certain social forces
4. Max Weber
- he encouraged the study not only of social facts and social structures, but also of social action, the external objective behavior as well as the internalized behavior and perceptions of the behavior of others
- he believed that qualitative, subjective methods as well objective, quantitative methods should be used in the study if social actions
- he said the understanding human action can be done by examining the subjective meaning that people attach to their own behavior and behavior of others
- he contented treated that this could be treated objectively and scientifically
Theoretical Perspectives
1. Structural Functionalism
- referred to as the social system theory, equilibrium theory, or functionalism
- the structure of a social system has several interrelated interdependent parts, each with a certain function
- the component parts of a social structure are families, neighborhoods, associations, schools, churches, banks, countries, etc.
- social system can have both manifest (intended or recognized) and latent (unintended or unrecognizable) functions
- social structures exist in the society for the functions they have to carry out
2. Conflict Theory
- conflict is a constant aspect of social life which involved a wide range of groups or interests, such as age groups, sex groups, religious groups, occupational and economical groups, political groups, educational groups, etc.
- each of this group pitted against each other for wealth, power, and prestige which are limited and not available to everyone
- those who possess wealth, power and prestige fight to maintain the status quo
- conflict need not always be equated with widespread debacles but can involve ordinary life destruction between individuals and groups, neither must it be equated with the integrative and constructive feature of conflict lay in a state where people with common needs and interests unite to work for goals that bring about social change for their own welfare
3. Symbolic Interaction Theory
- sociologists who developed this theory believed that society is reflected in every socialized individual and that its external forms and structures are likewise reflected through the social interactions occurring among individuals at the symbolic level
- George Herbert Mead theorized that humans are set apart from animals because of their ability to use language and to create and acquire social institutions, societies, and cultures
- Social interaction with others enables individuals to acquire the beliefs, values, and language of the society to which they belong and to learn what is appropriate or inappropriate, what is right or wrong, who is significant, or what is beautiful in a society
- It provides the bases for decision-making or problem-solving
Source: Panopio,Cordero-McDonald, Raymundo, General Sociology: Focus on the