Bartleby the Sribner

Durkheim developed the concept of a social fact and appears to be the heart of his sociological theory. This concept can be described as the social structures and cultural norms and values that are external to and coercive of actors. For example, we as students are constrained by such social structures of university bureaucracy and the norms and values of American society, with an emphasis on getting a college education. Social facts constrain people in all areas of social life. It is the expectation of society that is placed upon all of us who live and function and are accepted in our society.

Social facts are either fixed or fluid. A fixed social fact would be considered to be crystallized. It can not be reduced down to a materialistic value, for example money. A fluid social fact would be considered to be changeable. It could alter as time progresses. Social facts are to be treated as things and are "external to" and "coercive of" to us, there are not reducible. He gapped a bridge between psychological factors leading to social facts. His belief that psychological facts are internal (inherited or grand-fathered) and social facts are external to and coercive of the actor, and the foundations of religious life have a solid basis within society and groups.

Social foundations of religious life are the basic fundamentals that transcend time and culture. In theory these ideals may morph or redefine themselves, but fundamentally they do not change. These foundations "depend upon the reality" (Durkheim [1912]1965 p 71) that the actor is socialized into religious life According to Lemert, "All religions,

even the crudest, are in a sense spiritualistic: for the powers they put in play are before all spiritual, and also their principal object is to act upon the moral life." (Lemert 2004 p91)

Durkheim defines religion as "...a unified system of beliefs and practices relative to sacred things, that is to say, things set apart and forbidden -beliefs and practices which unite into one single moral community called a church, all those who adhere to them." (Durkheim [1912]1965 p62) This social foundation of religious life is described as "the obligation to adhere to religious beliefs that are mutually imposed and believed by the actors." (Durkheim [1912]1965 p63) The social foundations are applied in the ideals of totemic beliefs. Through these totemic beliefs, certain rites, rituals and ceremonies are utilized to bring social organization. In these rites, rituals and ceremonies, the use of the totem plays an important role in the structure, roots and hierarchy of the group.

According to Durkheim, "the two elements of the religious life are too closely connected with each other to allow of any radical separation."(Durkheim [1912]1965 p121) The use of totemic beliefs, mana and collective effervescence, are embedded into the structure of the group giving reification to the totem and hierarchy created in the group. Durkheim explains this theory by explaining that, "there are some beings, either men or things, which are favored; there are others which are relatively disinherited..." (Durkheim [1912]1965 p222)

Durkheim theorizes that religious phenomena can be reduced to a psychological fact and people are socialized into religious life. People experience their own cultural