The study of social world:

Sociology
Jan Vincent Gatabon
Sociology
It is a study of society, social
institution, and social
relationships. Sociology is
interested in describing and
explaining human behavior,
especially as it occurs within a
social context. (Merriam
Webster)
Studying sociology is practical and useful. As social beings, we gain
understanding of how the social word operates and of our place in it.

C. Wright Mill (1959) calls it sociological imagination which he define

as:
“The vivid awareness of the relationship between private experience
and the wider society.”
• Sociology’s point of view is distinct from other sciences. Peter Berger,
explains that the perspective of sociology enables us to see “general
patterns in particular events” (Macionis,2010). This means finding
general patterns in particular event.
• The first systematic study on suicide provides a good example. Emile
Durkheim’s pioneering study on suicide in the 1800s revealed that
there are categories of people who are more likely to commit suicide.
HISTORY OF SOCIOLOGY
• Sociology emerged with the two of the most significant social and
political revolution in the history. The french revolution in 1789, along
with the industrial revolution in England during the 18th century,
tremendously changes the people‘s lives.
EARLY THINKERS
August Comte (1798-1857) is the
person who invented sociology in
1842, by bringing together the greek
word “socius“ or companion and a
latin word “logy“ or to study. He
originally used “social physics” as a
term for sociology.
• It aim was to discover the social laws that govern the development of
the society. Comte suggested that there were three stages in the
development of the societies, namely the following:
1. Theological Stage
2. Metaphysical stage
3. Positive Stage
Harriet Martineau (1802-1876)
• She was the founding mother of
sociology,an English writer and
reformist. In her accounts on her
books, How to observed Morals
and Manners (1838), the deep
sociological insight we call now
Ethnographic Narratives are fully
expressed.
Karl Marx (1818-1883)
• A german philosopher and
revolutionary further contributed
to the development of sociology.
Marx introduced the materialist
analysis which discounts
metaphysical explanation for
historical development.
• Marx is the forerunner of the
conflict theory. He wrote the
Communist Manifesto a book that is
focused on the misery of the lower
class (Working Class) caused by the
existing social order He reiterated
that political revolution was vital in
the evolutionary process of the
society, the only means to achieve
improvement of social conditions.
Emile Durkheim(1864-1920)
• a French sociologist who put forward
the idea that individuals are more
products rather than the creator of
society; the society itself is external to
the individual. In his book Suicide,
Durkheim proved that social forces
strongly impact on people’s lives and
that seemingly personal event is not
personal after all.
Max Weber (1864-1920)
• Weber stressed the role of
rationalization in the development of
society. For Weber, rationalization
refers essentially to the
disenchantment of the world. As
science began to replace religion,
people also adopted a scientific or
rational attitude to the world. People
refused to believe in myths and
superstitious beliefs.