Summary:
Both Emile Durkheim and Max Weber were European sociologists who studied and wrote about the impact of industrialization upon society. While Durkheim considered the question of how social groups would integrate into the whole and contribute to the division of labor in such an environment, Weber focused on the individual level and how the individual contributes to society. Both men thought it important to understand the rules of society and how society functioned under those rules.
Emile Durkheim and Max Weber both appealed to me in the reading of chapter 1. They both have similarities and differences on their approaches to sociology. While reading the background of Emile, I found it fascinating how he studied sociology in a way that he put together the individual dimensions and added them together to better understand a society or social group. The case of suicide rates and religion. This one case can be analyzed through other elements, such as careers. For instance, the type of profession can be studied. I am really into statistics and like to break down information. The way he broke down the information to analyze a society or social groups interested me. Max Weber, I chose to write about because I felt he had a refined understanding of his teacher, Karl Marx.
Both lived their lives throughout the same time period. Both were students of teachers and sociologists. Both were of European descent. I have just listed very similar traits about these 2 sociologists.
Weber analyzed much of capitalism and trends that were affected by industrialization. Emiles' views were that in order to have an industrialized society, there needed to be different social classes integrated together to form a well oiled productive machine. Weber disagreed to a certain extent. He believed that there needed to different tasks accomplished by these individuals making up the social structure but in turn it would lead to capitalism and the destruction of a society.
Weber felt that capitalism would take over and there would be too much distinction between the classes. He later went on to study the ruling government or bureaucracy of a society and what limits individuals have. He studied subjectively and objectively. He considered his own views into his studies but limited them and made it clear that sociology must limit the sociologist views on the situation or case. As a sociologist, he felt that putting yourself in the place of the subject will give for empathetic views and add another dimension to the study.
Personally I feel that this is the correct way to view societies. At one point in my life I was walking in a park and noticed a man picking up trash and then later on walking I noticed someone disposing of trash wherever they wanted. If only the person that threw the trash down could have placed himself in the shoes of the person picking it up, it might have changed that person. He might have realized what his carelessness had created for someone else. I believe that society is about integration. One back scratches another. From the economic standpoint, I consider it to be like a snowball rolling down the hill. It collects many factors and those factors integrate to form the whole.
Emile like Weber went on to study the rules of society in order to better understand it. He found the broken link to when a crime or problem arose. He related this back to scientific theory which enabled the social group to play a huge role in sociology. I related to Emiles' division of labor through the scale of economies. How the worth of the smaller individual tasks led to a greater whole. When one group produces something very efficiently and soundly, they are relied upon by other groups which form an interaction between the groups. Yet the groups are independent, they rely on each other in order to function.
In addition to the differences, I feel that Emile focused much on groups that integrated and Weber focused more on the individual integrating into the whole. I like Emiles' approach more because it relates more to how societies are run. I feel that now Emiles' views are more widely used then Webers'. Just from my example. How often does someone put themselves in the place of another and have empathy for other individuals or groups.
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