Wednesday, March 13, 2019

Marx, Weber and Durkheim have significantly advanced our understanding of industrial capitalist societies

For hundreds of years concourse boast tried to break ways to realise the changes in our guild. How cast off we evolved from a hunting and company beau monde about 12,000 years ago, when humans lived totally without engineering science, searching interminably for food, to todays fast-moving society, where we have young engineering science at out fingertips? This paper forget argue that three of sociologys showers, Karl Marx, Max weber and Emilie Durkheim admirer us reckon how and why society changes.These three loving thinkers, who all lived in the nineteenth Century and thus were witness to the greatest change in society, the industrial revolution, have all studied societies in different ways and have come up with their own theories for fond change. This paper will help us answer questions, which ar puzzling us in todays modern world. Why is there such a large and ever-increasing divide between the rich and the poor?Why, when globalisation has enabled access to mod ern technology and schooling worldwide, atomic number 18 some countries still not embracing modern technology, e. g. omputers, fax, e-mail, at the resembling level that Europe and USA be? Is material riches a guarantee to happiness in todays society and why argon traditional family values declining in modern society? With the help of Marx, Weber and Durkheims theories we will try to answer these questions and understand todays society. Karl Marx (1818-1883) interpreted modern society as a largely capitalist society, where profit is made for capitalists or bourgeoisie, who have means of production (factories, land, money), by exploitation of manual boil from the working fork or proletariat.Marx maintained that economic production underlies and shapes the spotless society. He called technological and social process of economic production the nucleotide on which all additional social elements uniform religion, education, family, ideas and values are built to form the superst ructure. In other words, he would explain that states values, ambitions and ideas are related directly to their economic position, i. e. their function in capitalist society. Marx found that conflict between economic groups is the major engine of change (Macionis & Plummer, p. 9). Marxs outline centers on destructive aspects of industrial capitalism, especially the ways in which it promotes class conflict and alienation (Macionis & Plummer, p. 79). Alienation is the experience of isolation numbering from powerlessness (Macionis & Plummer, p. 80). Marxs theories are relevant in todays world when we consider the problem of class division. there is an increasing gap between unskilled working class plurality (e. g. factory workers, labourers) and middle/upper class citizenry (company directors, land/ office owners).Marxs struggle between classes is really evident today, where working class people who want to break away themselves and move out of their lower social class, fancy it difficult to do so. They may not be accustomed the same opportunities as people who, for example, live in richer, to a greater extent than developed areas, with better facilities, i. e. education, training, employment etc. Marxs theory on class division is similarly evident when we consider umbrage. on that point learnm to be different social rules applied to class. We are familiar with the term white collar crime and the fact that this often carries lesser punishment than crime carried out by lower classes.Marxs theory on alienation lowlife help us understand why people who are ambitious and strive to be successful and and so work long hours are feeling alienated from society. Workers are told what work they should do, have often no real foreplay on the outcome of the product, often work alone and by doing continual work, are alienated from their own human potential. This problem is being intercommunicate by establishing company unions and work societies who represen t workers interests and combat alienation, but the industrial capitalist societies as Marx saw them are still evident in many parts of the world today.Where Marx studied social change from a capitalist angle, Max Weber (1864-1920) considered human ideas, beliefs and values to be the make water of social change. For him, peoples ideas have transforming power. He found that modern society is a product of peoples way of thinking as opposed to Marxs views that modern technology and capitalism brought about change.Weber argued that pre-industrial societies views are mainly traditional, i. e. sentiments and beliefs passed from propagation to generation (Macionis & Plummer, p. 1), whereas people in modern societies act rationally, deliberate matter-of-fact deliberation of the most efficient means to accomplish a particular terminus (Macionis & Plummer, p. 82). He viewed the industrial revolution as a rationalisation of society. muckle tried to replace tradition with reason and law as the founding for societal organisation (Tovey & Share, p. 14). Weber argued that the main form of rationalisation was bureaucracy as a way to control larger organisations.He excessively found that industrial capitalism was found on Calvinism, where it is pre-destined, Gods will, that some people will do well in this world and that they are given the opportunity to enjoy the materialist, monetary wealth this brings. Like Marx, Weber believed that a problem of industrial capitalism is widespread alienation. But in his view, this was receivable to disenchantment with the world sort of than oppression and false consciousness, i. e. that social problems are grounded in the shortcomings of individuals rather than the flaws of society (Macionis & Plummer, p. 78).We can listen Webers theory that tenableness wears away traditional ties of kinship when we demeanor at todays modern societies. There is evidence that family values are decreasing with long working hours and with, in a lo t of modern families, both parents being career-orientated. Modern technology has also affected traditional family values. The introduction of TV, stereos, computers, telephones, have all change magnitude the time we spend in direct personal contact with family members and friends. It can be argued that modern technology has enabled us to carry out tasks quick and save time, but that extra time is seldom ever exhausted with family.Rationalising society has given rise to alienation. We are classed as numbers and cases, rather than individuals. Loss of identity is often the result when we consider large-scale organisations, which, as Weber found, may work very well and efficient in their bureaucratic way, but at the cost of our own individuality. This may be the reason why so many countries do not see modern societies, e. g. Europe and USA as advanced and are therefore not willing to embrace modern technology with all its problems deal alienation.Emilie Durkheim (1858-1917) viewed society as a structure of social facts. Society has a life of its own and can shape our thoughts, ideas and actions. Durkheim argued that society makes us who we are. He saw social change cod to division of labour. Like Weber, Durkheim argued that in pre-industrial societies, strong tradition was the main societal influence. He added that this tradition spring people together and termed this collective conscience.From this he concluded that people of the same social beliefs are part of windup(prenominal) solidarity i. e. social bonds, based on shared morality, that get in touch members of pre-industrial societies (Macionis & Plummer, p. 89). He saw that with the advancement of modernity, this mechanical solidarity was increasingly replaced by organic solidarity i. e. social bonds, based on specialisation, that unite members of industrial societies (Macionis & Plummer, p. 89). Therefore, this solidarity is based on differences as opposed to likeness. As jobs became more speciali sed to promote efficiency, we have to rely on others, mainly strangers, to find the successful completion of tasks.This may create a lack of morality, due to the increased freedom people of modern society have. They are no longer held together by strict traditional moral social regulations. Another term which Durkheim coined is anomie, which is a condition in which society provides little moral guidance to individuals (Macionis & Plummer). Fewer restrictions are imposed on people in modern societies and whereas Durkheim ack straightwayledges the advantages of modern freedom, he warned of the negative fix of anomie.Anomie can be seen in modern society when we look at why some famous, successful, rich people are unhappy, have mental breakdowns and sometimes even commit suicide. Durkheims study of suicide is very relevant today, as he found that people with little adhesiveness to society (anomie) or over attachment to society are more likely to commit suicide than others. Durkheim s aw the decreasing importance on morality as a result of modernisation and we can see its effect in todays world, e. g. increase in crime and deviance.This paper has now considered three different theories, which can explain and help us understand industrial capitalist societies and have looked at how these theories are relevant in todays world. We have argued that the advancement of technology, which is at the heart of our modern world, is not needfully good for our society. It has brought its own problems, like do we enjoy our high standards of supporting at the expense of others? Inequality will remain a abundant problem. Marx has seen class division to be a major negative result of modernisation.Webers view that modern society is wearing away traditional ties and the going of individualism is evident in todays contemporary world, when we consider social problems like crime, decreasing family values, family structure breakdown etc. Durkheims theory is that modernity has fall c lose moral ties and has led to increased isolation and anomie. There is no question that modern technology has benefited societies in many ways, but the hurt we have to pay for this technological advancement may be the passing play of human community, moral values and beliefs.

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