Fathers of Sociology as a Discipline, Sociology

¶ … Fathers of Sociology

As a discipline, sociology is relatively young. Therefore, many of the great thinkers of the last two centuries have had a tremendous impact on the face of modern sociology. Emile Durkheim, Karl Marx, Herbert Spencer, and W.E.B. Du Bois all contributed to the historical development of the discipline of sociology. One can see the lasting impact of those contributions in how sociologists approach human behavior in modern American society.

Emile Durkheim may be the man most responsible for transforming sociology from unscientific observations of human behavior into a disciplined science of human behavior. He drew upon Comte's work in sociology, but felt that his foundations were too vague. Instead of vague assertions about human behavior, Durkheim felt that in order for sociology to be a science, it "must study social facts, i.e. aspects of social life that shape our actions as individuals" (Agarwal, N.p.). While Durkheim's work did much for the overall study of sociology, he is probably best-remembered for his work on suicide. Until Durkheim's work, suicide was considered a relatively solitary act, though it clearly had a significant impact on those close to the person who committed suicide. Durkheim challenged this notion, demonstrating that "social factors exert a fundamental influence on suicidal behavior" and that these social factors had a greater relation to suicidal behavior than private factors such as psychopathology (Agarwal, N.p.).

Karl Marx's contributions to sociology are sometimes minimized in comparison to his contributions to economic theory. However, when one understands that, for Marx, it was impossible to separate economic conditions from social conditions, it becomes clear that he was a major innovator in the field. Marx believed that society, economics, and politics were all interrelated and that society's progress was reflective of class struggle. "He was heavily critical of the current socio-economic form of society, capitalism, which he called the "dictatorship of the bourgeoisie," believing it to be run by the wealthy middle and upper classes purely for their own benefit, and predicted that it would inevitably produce internal tensions which would lead to its self-destruction and replacement by a new system, socialism" (Crossman, "Karl Marx," N.p.). Marx was one of the first sociologists to focus on the fact that economic-based class disparities did not only have an economic impact, but also a broader impact because lack of access to financial resources translated to lack of access to other important resources, such as educational opportunities.

Herbert Spencer's contributions to the field of sociology are sometimes dismissed because of his connection to the idea of social Darwinism, which seems to dismiss some people as less socially evolved than others. However, it is reductionist to view Spencer's contributions in such a narrow light. Spencer did develop and apply evolutionary theory to sociology, psychology, and philosophy (Crossman, "Herbert Spencer," N.p.). However, this application was to society as a whole, rather than to individuals in society. Spencer also helped develop the functionalist perspective, which went on to become one of the major frameworks in sociology (Crossman, "Herbert Spencer," N.p.). The functionalist perspective is that all aspects of society are interdependent and contribute to the well-being of society at large, so that failure in one aspect of society will contribute to failure in other aspects. Spencer was also known for his defense of the natural rights perspective.

W.E.B. Du Bois' contributions to sociology may be more noteworthy than that of his predecessors, since Du Bois was probably the first major sociologist to investigate the impact of race and racism on American society. He began by conducting empirical inquiries into the conditions of blacks in America (Encyclopaedia Britannica, p.1). These studies were noteworthy for two reasons. First, they studied race in America. However, second, and perhaps more importantly for the science of sociology, they represented the first truly scientific approaches to sociology. Du Bois's motivation was not purely academic; he believed that social science could "provide the knowledge to solve the race problem" (Encyclopaedia Britannica, p.1). However, Du Bois eventually became overwhelmed by the virulence and vehemence of American racism, and believed that the race problem's real solution would have to come through ardent activism. In fact, Du Bois may be as well-known for his opposition to the accommodation policies of Booker T. Washington as he is for his contributions to sociology.