StudentShare
Contact Us
Sign In / Sign Up for FREE
Search
Go to advanced search...
Free

Everyday and Sociological Theory - Assignment Example

Cite this document
Summary
The paper “Everyday and Sociological Theory” seeks to evaluate the importance of integrating scientific methods in understanding human societies, which was frequently beset by people’s claim that knowledge generated by the social sciences is nothing but common sense…
Download full paper File format: .doc, available for editing
GRAB THE BEST PAPER98.9% of users find it useful
Everyday and Sociological Theory
Read Text Preview

Extract of sample "Everyday and Sociological Theory"

Everyday Theory and Sociological Theory August Comte, the father of sociology and the key personality who first d the scientific study of human behavior as the “queen of all the sciences”, made a bold attempt to introduce a theoretical way of viewing society and a systematic approach in the analysis of human behavior in order to encourage positive changes in a society badly ridden with social problems (Lemert, 1999: p. 23). Yet, the importance of integrating scientific methods in understanding human societies was frequently beset by people’s claim that knowledge generated by the social sciences are nothing but common sense or what sociologist distinctively termed to as “everyday theory”. It is true that people do not need to acquire high-degree of educational credentials in order to grasp the underlying rationale behind societal problems and to devise feasible solutions to alleviate these human predicaments. People from diverse cultures have a self-gained knowledge on why divorce occurs recurrently under a particular social system or on why movie actors and actresses are essential to the maintenance of a social order. We normally depend on our common sense to pull us off from a difficult situation. Yet, even though common sense proves to be valuable in our everyday activities, assumptions that we derived from it are inaccurate since these are anchored on commonly held beliefs and not on carefully evaluated facts. For instance, our ancestors strongly believed that the earth was flat because it is common sense to assume so for they had observed that the horizon has a starting point and an ending. This ancient knowledge greatly affected our predecessors’ society manifested by their effort to put limit on everything because they believed that they would plunge into nothingness since the earth is flat, if they do otherwise. This familiarity on the relationship between human dynamics and societal entities is generated through people’s experiences and observations on a daily basis thus the concept of everyday theory. On the contrary, sociologists refrain from accepting these theories produced by the commonsense or believed by the majority as facts; instead social scientists gather data or information then subject them to testing and verification. Sociological theory is formulated not through recording the number of people who believe a certain social phenomena but through meticulous collection of data and then careful testing of data’s consistency. Unlike everyday theory, theory in sociology attempts not only to explain social problems and human behavior but as well provides an integrated examination of the relationships among ostensibly remote phenomena with a predictive and explanatory capability, which cannot be accomplished by the everyday theory. This dissimilarity between the everyday and sociological theory was further exemplified by Emile Durkheim’s theory on suicide. In traditional commonsense view, suicide is like a genetic disease which is naturally inherited or that terminating one’s own life is encouraged by sunspots (Schaefer, 1995: p.9). These assumptions will definitely sound absurd for modern social researchers. Durkheim, as a noteworthy sociologist, did not focus on individual personalities but instead studied the discrepancy of suicide rate from country to country. In this manner, he was able to collect data that were seemingly unrelated and yet when examined on the lens of social research will yield results that can holistically explain the very nature of suicide (p. 10). This process of data collection and scrutiny cannot be accomplished by everyday theory since it relies on the convenience pledged by the commonsense. However, understanding society and human behavior on the perspective of commonsense is a fruitful attempt of ordinary people to gain knowledge and awareness that will guide them through their everyday undertakings. Sociological Imagination and the Genius of Karl Marx C. Wright Mills (1959) claimed that the key feature of sociological imagination is its ability to situate individuals outside of the society in order for them to analyze and examine it without biases commonly rooted from their personal experiences and cultural background. In the 19th century, a remarkable social scientist, philosopher, and historian was born in Trier, Germany on May 5, 1818 into a middle-class family. He was baptized with the immortalized name, Karl Marx. This brilliant socialist thinker is an excellent model of Mill’s sociological imagination because Marx personal background was an explicit contradiction of his political and social theories. He viewed human societies, specifically European civilizations, outside his established individual constraints towards a value-free analysis of societal elements that elicit impacts on individual as well as group behavior. The pivotal events following his matured life shaped to a large extent the inclination of his thoughts and ideas. His quest for knowledge became complicated the moment his father decided to send him to the University of Berlin where he will spend the next four years of his life. This phase of his fateful days encouraged him to become an adamant affiliate of the Hegelian movement due to the group’s appealing critique of Christianity and its dissent against the Prussian autocracy. His diversion from Hegelian philosophy of law opened up an idea in him that the state was not the paramount social structure but the “civil society” which was the means to understanding the unfolding of human’s historical progression; he as well realized through this that the art of the civil society could never be studied in Germany but in the cities of England and France. His emphasis on the important role of the civil society in the development of history led him to the formulation of the idea that argues on the material production as the most forceful reality of human existence; this treatise was known as historical materialism. For mankind to continuously produce the material necessities of its survival, it has to sacrifice liberty so as to penetrate social relations or basically production relations. In Paris, Marx met his fated friend Friedrich Engels whom he collaborated with to develop an analysis of political economy and to contemplate on feasible solutions to societal disorders which resulted to the materialization of their magnificent literary piece, the Communist Manifesto. Moreover, the political environment in Paris stimulated Marx’s belief on the benefits of communism in the realm of human nature; he passionately espoused that capitalism being an egotistical mode of production, will never liberate the true essence of humans which is the value of their labor. Capitalism will dehumanize workers whilst communism will fashion a genuine workers’ self-identity through free and cooperative execution of labor. Marx joined the Communist League which was composed of German workers after being expelled from Paris. This group guided Marx through the knowledge that history is laden with the evolution of modes of production and that the present production relations will eventually collapse which will signal the emergence of another, the final stage being communism. The revolutions in Europe, particularly the class struggle and civil war in France, persuaded Marx that revolutions were possible only if there will be sufficient new crisis to spur such radical movement hence stating that “capitalism carries with it the seed of its own destruction.” The demise of capitalism will come into completion the moment the working class fruitfully eradicated false consciousness which is the belief that they benefit from capitalism through wages, replacing it with class consciousness that upheld the reality that they were oppressed and alienated from the products of their own labor. References Books Lemert, C. (1999). Social Theory: The Multicultural and Classic Readings. Boulder, Colorado: Westview Press. Mills, C. W. (1959). Sociological Imagination. London: Oxford University Press. Schaefer, R. T. (1995). Sociology. New York: McGraw-Hill, Inc. Website Kreis, Steven (2000). Karl Marx, 1818-1883. The History Guide, Lectures on Modern Intellectual European History http://www.historyguide.org/intellect/marx.html Read More
Cite this document
  • APA
  • MLA
  • CHICAGO
(Everyday and Sociological Theory Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words, n.d.)
Everyday and Sociological Theory Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words. Retrieved from https://studentshare.org/sociology/1546792-everyday-theory-and-sociological-theorydont-want-writer-1052thnks
(Everyday and Sociological Theory Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 Words)
Everyday and Sociological Theory Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 Words. https://studentshare.org/sociology/1546792-everyday-theory-and-sociological-theorydont-want-writer-1052thnks.
“Everyday and Sociological Theory Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 Words”, n.d. https://studentshare.org/sociology/1546792-everyday-theory-and-sociological-theorydont-want-writer-1052thnks.
  • Cited: 0 times

CHECK THESE SAMPLES OF Everyday and Sociological Theory

Why Sociological Research and Theory Focus on Issues of Identity

Here Jenkins spoke and wrote on three significant senses that he acknowledged is shared by other critics and which dwelt on how general theory and empirical research "have become too weakly connected to each other.... A move expected to provide answers as to why sociological research and theory focus on issues of identity. As discussed further, Professor James W.... Jenkins continued with how sociologists "routinely fail" and lastly, how sociological aspiration has been "particularly threatened in the recent years....
12 Pages (3000 words) Essay

The Roles of Psychology and Sociology in Drug Abuse

hellip; If the person is not well versed in good decision-making skills and simply seeks to escape pain or gain pleasure through artificial means, a behavioral addiction is likely to occur. Psychological stress and sociological peer pressure can contribute greatly to an individual's decision to experiment with drugs.... It is easy to make a theory, even easier to track the changes of society over time and the effect of societal pressures such as the media and consumerism and the sheer force of having to keep up with everyone else in grades, clothes, shoes, cars and other items that has social significance....
4 Pages (1000 words) Essay

Anthony Giddens Theory of Structuration

hellip; What are rules, and what are resources, in this terminology (Giddens 1977) It is this question among others that inspired Giddens evolving theory of structuration in the world of Sociology.... It is through this theory that the field of sociology can connect human behavior and it's influence on the rules of daily living, thinking and our view of the outside world.... Anthony Giddens' contribution to social theory is widely debated....
5 Pages (1250 words) Essay

Concept of Sociological Conflicts

In this research paper, the overall concept of sociological conflicts and their impact on the society will be examined and researched, to seek viable answers and solutions to pressing problems.... Of late, sociological conflicts in the British society is manifesting as a wide spectrum of various actions, beliefs, and social values.... More often the central point of understanding the core issue of sociological conflict is the concept of perspective (Harvey 2005)....
8 Pages (2000 words) Essay

Sociological Imagination and Sociologic Approach to the Situation

The improvement and advancement in technology has been much of a blessing and also much of a curse to the human generation.... Take for instance how the… Nowadays, the improvement in technology has made it really hard to bring up a child.... Unlike in the past where the child would be encouraged to play with other children and in process improve on his or her social development, these days the child will most likely spend hours glued to the television watching the favorite cartoon movie without moving....
10 Pages (2500 words) Essay

Research paper that explores an ethnic sociological issue

The gender discrimination and inequality is a sociological theory brought about by terrorism.... Terrorism in this case encourages the sociological theory that advocates corporation among individuals as a means of effecting social order.... Corporation is a sociological theory that terrorism addresses.... Conflict and the violence addressed relates to the sociological conflict theory.... Gender-based Terrorism as an Ethnic sociological Issue Terrorism has been a common occurrence since 2001....
2 Pages (500 words) Research Paper

Sociological Autobiography

The social identity theory has shed light on how people choose their career paths and the factors that influence a… During my formative years, before I chose to pursue Computer Science, the main factor that led me to develop computer codes was largely due to the film ‘The Social Networking'.... In this age, basic computer skills are a necessity for every person and more so in a developed country where every sector of governance, education, social interactions and generally everyday life, is dictated by the use of computer systems....
4 Pages (1000 words) Essay

Sociological Imagination

This report "sociological Imagination" discusses social institutions, as well as various processes, forms, and modes of interactions people enter into in their everyday life.... In other words, the discipline of sociology discusses human life in groups and communities.... hellip; The Chinese restaurant presents a neat and clean dining place, though the same serves as a symbol of globalization for a sociologist, which presents the Chinese cuisine and culture through it....
10 Pages (2500 words) Report
sponsored ads
We use cookies to create the best experience for you. Keep on browsing if you are OK with that, or find out how to manage cookies.
Contact Us