Sociology

Reaction Paper #1

Auguste Comte contributed to sociology by making the term sociology designated to be the scientific study of society. He believed that the study of social stability and social change was the most important subject for sociology to discuss. He made some of the earliest attempts to apply scientific methods to the study of social life. He made it clear that there is such a great diversity of societies that comparison among them will yield much insight into why they differ and how they change.

Emile Durkheim contributed to sociology by writing very known books giving examples of the use of comparative data to determine the directions and consequences of social change. He was a moderate sociologist who found scientific sociology in France. In 1898 he and his colleagues established the first scientific journal in sociology called "The Social Year". The journals, along with his other writings, were among the first examples of the involvement of statistics with social issues.

Max Webber contributed to sociology by witnessing turbulent changes that were quickly changing the known way of life. He observed new markets and businesses evolving worldwide. He noticed the markets and businesses were bringing people together. He described and watched how modern science was becoming the way of doing business. He compared the different societies he observed and saw how the forms of government were evolving. He believed sociology has to apply scientific methods which elevated sociology to the level of social science instead of a branch of philosophy.

Karl Marx contributed to sociology working in the library of the British to develop social and economic theories that would have a huge impact on sociology. His famous treatise "Capital" is a study of the rise of capitalism as a strong system of production. He brought about a very strong theory to explain the changes taking place as societies became more advanced and urbanized. He thought the advancement would soon bring an overthrow of capitalism. He also believed the overthrow of capitalism would happen sooner if politics had anything to do with it.

W. E. B Du Bois contributed to sociology by focusing on racial issues. He was the first black sociologist to be recognized worldwide. Du Bois took a survey of blacks that lived in Philadelphia. He was the first to go public with facts and detailed descriptions of life in the city. He helped direct sociological research to the racial issues in communities of minorities. He used the information he had to provide information of the conditions fo blacks at the end of the 20th century.

Oscar Lewis contributed to sociology by recognizing the phrase "culture of poverty." He understood that poverty was a form of life that existed. He researched in ghettos and migrant populations. He received a great deal of criticism, but found substantial information regarding poverty. He helped bring anthropology to the University of Illinois. Throughout his research he discovered poverty was a design of living passed down from generation to generation.

The sociological implications of a parade include never-ending views of people's social worlds. Parades display