Socio Intro

Sociology, the scientific study of human social behavior. As the study of humans in their collective aspect, sociology is concerned with all group activities: economic, social, political, and religious. Sociologists study such areas as bureaucracy, community, deviant behavior, family, public opinion, social change, social mobility, social stratification, and such specific problems as crime, divorce, child abuse, and substance addiction. Sociology tries to determine the laws governing human behavior in social contexts.
Sociology' which had once been treated as social philosophy, or the philosophy of the history, emerged as an independent social science in 19th century. Auguste Comte, a Frenchman, is traditionally considered to be the father of sociology. Comte is accredited with the coining of the term sociology (in 1839). "Sociology" is composed of two words : socius, meaning companion or associate; and 'logos', meaning science or study. The etymological meaning of "sociology" is thus the science of society. John Stuart Mill, another social thinker and philosopher of the 19th century, proposed the word ethology for this new science. Herbert Spencer developed his systematic study of society and adopted the word "sociology" in his works. With the contributions of Spencer and others it (sociology) became the permanent name of the new science.

The question 'what is sociology' is indeed , a question pertaining to the definition of sociology. No student can rightfully be expected to enter on a field of study which is totally undefined or unbounded. At the same time, it is not an easy task to set some fixed limits to a field of study. It is true in the case of sociology. Hence it is difficult to give a brief and a comprehensive definition of sociology.

Sociology has been defined in a number of ways by different sociologists. No single definition has yet been accepted as completely satisfactory. In fact, there are lot of definitions of sociology as there are sociologists. For our purpose of study a few definitions may be cited here.

Auguste Comete, the founding father of sociology, defines sociology as the science of social phenomena "subject to natural and invariable laws, the discovery of which is the object of investigation". Kingsley Davis says that "Sociology is a general science of society". Harry M. Johnson opines that "sociology is the science that deals with social groups". Emile Durkheim: "Science of social institutions". Park regards sociology as "the science of collective behavior". Small defines sociology as "the science of social relationships". Marshal Jones defines sociology as "the study of man-in-relationship-to-men". Ogburn and Nimkoff : "Sociology is the scientific study of social life". Franklin Henry Giddings defines sociology as "the science of social phenomena". Henry Fairchild: "Sociology is the study of man and his human environment in their relations to each other". Max Weber defines sociology as " the science which attempts the interpretative understanding of social action in order thereby to arrive at a casual explanation of its course and effects". Alex Inkeles says, "Sociology is the study of systems of social action and of their inter-relations". Kimball Young and Raymond W. Mack say, "Sociology is the scientific study of social aspects of human life". Morris Ginsberg: of the various definitions of sociology the one given by Morris Ginsberg seems to be more satisfactory and comprehensive. He defines sociology in the following way: "In the broadest sense, sociology is the study of human interactions and inter-relations, their conditions and consequences".

A careful examination of various definitions cited above, makes it evident that sociologists differ in their opinion about definition of sociology. Their divergent views about the definition of sociology only reveal their distinct approaches to its study. However, the common idea underlying all the definitions mentioned above is that sociology is concerned with man, his social relations and his society.
Sociology (in the sense in which this highly ambiguous word is used here) is a science which attempts the interpretive understanding of social action in order thereby to arrive at a causal explanation of its course and effects. In “action” is included all human behaviour when and insofar as the acting individual attaches a subjective meaning to it. Action in this sense may be either overt or purely inward or subjective; it may consist of positive intervention in a situation, or of deliberately refraining from such intervention or passively acquiescing in the situation. Action is social insofar as, by virtue of the subjective meaning attached to it by the acting individual (or individuals), it takes account of the behaviour of others and is thereby oriented in its course.

Auguste Comte-(1898-1857)He is considered as father of sociology. Comte was born at Montpellier, in France. He founded the philosophy of positivism, and originated a concept of social science known as sociology.
Comte sought to discover the laws that he believed governed the evolution of the mind. In his six-volume work, The Course of Positive Philosophy (1830-1842), he framed his "law of the three states." This law advanced the idea that people try to understand phenomena in three ways. Comte believed that people first seek a theological (supernatural) explanation; then a metaphysical (abstract) explanation; and finally a positive explanation. The positive explanation is derived from an objective examination of the phenomena. Comte believed that students should concern themselves only with phenomena that have an objective, "positive," existence. This belief forms a basis of positivism. He also has given importance to "social static and social Mobility" and cleared that changes of society can be understood on these basis. His contribution in field of Social reconstruction is related to social welfare of human beings ,which should be studied with social methods.
Comte regarded all social thought as an interrelated whole, the laws of which can be found by assembling what he considered the facts. His ideas have influenced students of historical and social theory, and of criminology, and such authors as Herbert Spencer and John Stuart Mill, who were seeking a "science of society."
Spencer, Herbert (1820-1903), was a British philosopher. He attempted to work out a comprehensive philosophy based on the scientific discoveries of his day. Spencer was greatly influenced by the English naturalist Charles Darwin. He applied his own and Darwin's fundamental law--the idea of evolution (gradual development)--to biology, psychology, sociology, and other fields. Spencer's major works include First Principles (1862) and Principles of Ethics (1879-1893).
In his work, Spencer traced the development of life from its lowest recognizable form up to human beings. He believed that the great law of nature is the constant action of forces which tend to change all forms from the simple to the complex. He explained that the mind of human beings has developed in this way, advancing from the simple automatic responses of lower animals to the reasoning processes of human beings. According to him it(scope of sociology )should study family, religion social control, division of labor, politics etc.
Marx, Karl (1818-1883), was a German philosopher, social scientist, and professional revolutionary. Few writers have had such a great and lasting influence on the world. The main reason of social change is ,change in economic relationship. Due to clashing interests of both ,there is always clashing relationship between owner and labor,which brings change in society.
In sociology, Marx's work is also regarded with increasing respect. Without his contributions, sociology would not have developed into what it is today. Marx wrote on social classes, on the relationship between the economy and the state, and on the principles that underlie a political or economic system.
Many people still turn to Marx for an explanation of current social, economic, and political evils. But most of them are unlikely to agree with his view of the ease and speed with which the working class will overthrow the class system and set up a Communist classless society.
Emile Durkheim(1858-1917), was a French sociologist. His theories and writings helped establish the foundations of modern sociology. Durkheim disagreed with most social theorists of the late 1800's because they thought that individual psychology was the basis of sociology. Durkheim regarded sociology as the study of the society that surrounds and influences the individual. Durkheim explained his theories in his book The Rules of Sociological Method (1895). He says there is relationship between moral values and religious beliefs, which establishes unity in society.
In The Division of Labour (1893), Durkheim developed the theory that societies are bound together by two sources of unity. He called these sources mechanical solidarity and organic solidarity. Mechanical solidarity refers to similarities that many people in the society share, such as values and religious beliefs. Organic solidarity results from the division of labour into specialized jobs. Durkheim believed that the division of labour makes people depend on one another and thus helps create unity in a society. Durkheim studied thousands of cases of suicide to demonstrate his theory that a person commits suicide because of the influence of society. He explained this theory in Suicide (1897).
Max Weber- (1864-1920), Weber was born in Erfurt, Germany. He studied at the universities of Berlin, Gottingen, and Heidelberg. Other important workby Weber is Essays in Sociology and The Theory of Social and Economic Organization. His theories and writings helped establish the foundations of modern sociology. Weber considered bureaucracy to be the most important feature of modern society. Bureaucracy is a method of organization based on specialization of duties, action according to rules, and a stable order of authority. Weber also developed an ideal type method for studying society. This method studies the basic elements of social institutions and how these elements relate to one another .According to him scope of sociology is study and interpretation of social actions.