A Brief Review of Major Theorists in the Field of Sociology

             Discuss the theories of Marx, Weber, Spencer, Durkheim, and Cooley and show how they relate to the Sociological Perspective. Be sure to identify each as a functional, conflict, or interactionist thinker as it relates to the discipline of sociology.
             In order to obtain a fundamentally structural understanding of Sociology, one
             must first acquire a brief look into a number of notable theorists in the field. This essay
             will attempt to help the reader identify, examine, and relate the theories and perspectives
             of Marx, Spencer, Durkheim, Weber, and Cooley. In addition, this essay will identify key
             terms and concepts essential to the understanding of sociological perspectives and how
             Arguably one of the most profound and influential theorists of the 19th century,
             Karl Marx began his work as a humanist and therefore concentrated his efforts towards
             the struggles of humanity. Through a macro-sociological viewpoint, a perspective that
             allows an individual to examine society as a whole by means of observing broad social
             patterns, Marx was able to identify a common thread within all societies. This common
             thread became the foundation for his most popular theories. Marx observed that through
             out time societies have basically been a collection of class struggles between those who
             own the means of producing goods and those who do not. This premise can be found in a
             number of societies. Marx then applied an economical deterministic view to the construct
             of societies and coined the term Social Superstructure. According to Marx's theory, it is
             the complex reciprocal relationship between a society's institutions and ideologies and
             the economic base of that society that make up the Social Superstructure. The economic
             base is defined by its class structure and means of producing wealth. The relationship is
             reciprocal because once the economic base has reached a maximum level of efficienc...

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