Marxist Comparison with Durkheim
PART 3: Explain, in as much detail as you believe necessary, class-consciousness, as offered by Karl Marx. Discuss the similarities and differences of class-consciousness and collective conscience and indicate to what, if any, extent, the two concepts are interchangeable. Do you believe class-consciousness is a useful tool for understanding social relations among classes, today? Use examples to illustrate your answer and thoroughly explain why or why not. *
One very complex issue of today is the idea of social change. This paper will introduce the lives of Karl Marx and Emile Durkheim and how they both use different theories to introduce the structure of modern society. Each special theory explains how society stays stable and what causes it to change. This essay will attempt to also compare and contrast their theories regarding the structure of modern society as well as the ideas of Collective conscience and Class consciousness. Followed by many of today’s examples and an opinion to conclude this essay.
Emile Durkheim was a French sociologist mainly known as “The father of sociology”. His main concern was how societies could maintain their traditions and beliefs in a modern-day era. He focuses on how modern societies hold together when it seems to have lost most of the social forms that were the basis of social order. He assumes that humans are selfish but norms, beliefs, sanctions, emotions, symbols and values form the moral foundation of society and through those interactions, society holds itself together which defines the term Collective conscience. He comes up with the theory of ‘Functionalism’ which is the basis for constructing the theory that sees society as a complex system where he tries to seek solidity and solidarity. Through the term of collective conscience, Durkheim described the evolution of societies from mechanical to organic solidarity. As the societies become more complex, changing from mechanical to organic solidarity, the division
One very complex issue of today is the idea of social change. This paper will introduce the lives of Karl Marx and Emile Durkheim and how they both use different theories to introduce the structure of modern society. Each special theory explains how society stays stable and what causes it to change. This essay will attempt to also compare and contrast their theories regarding the structure of modern society as well as the ideas of Collective conscience and Class consciousness. Followed by many of today’s examples and an opinion to conclude this essay.
Emile Durkheim was a French sociologist mainly known as “The father of sociology”. His main concern was how societies could maintain their traditions and beliefs in a modern-day era. He focuses on how modern societies hold together when it seems to have lost most of the social forms that were the basis of social order. He assumes that humans are selfish but norms, beliefs, sanctions, emotions, symbols and values form the moral foundation of society and through those interactions, society holds itself together which defines the term Collective conscience. He comes up with the theory of ‘Functionalism’ which is the basis for constructing the theory that sees society as a complex system where he tries to seek solidity and solidarity. Through the term of collective conscience, Durkheim described the evolution of societies from mechanical to organic solidarity. As the societies become more complex, changing from mechanical to organic solidarity, the division