Contrasting Theories of Capitalism: Marx, Durkheim, and Weber
Emile Durkheim placed great emphasis on the division of labor (DOL) in society. He wondered about what it was, and how it applied to everything that society encompassed, such as individual people, animals, and plants. He was not the first to ponder these things and try to come up with an explanation that made sense of them. As society continues to change and grow there are some aspects of it that stay the same. Rebellion, the attempt to find individuality among the masses, and the independence of the people as being separate from the whole of the group are some of the things that have remained static for decades. There is belief among many sociologists that disputes can be settled by the scientific method and that people are able to restructure their social relationships if they have the right knowledge. This 'right' knowledge is what Durkheim and others feel they are providing by writing on the subject. Most of what Durkheim writes about the nature of society and the way it changes comes from his analysis of the works of Comte and Spencer. One of the things Durkheim is most concerned with is solidarity. He talks about both organic and contractual solidarity and much of what he feels to be accurate on these matters comes
The stratification theory does not regard society as a constant battle between classes that are in conflict with one another as is the case with class theory. It has therefore been necessary to renew the class theory, and Marx' theory is no longer used that much. They fail to acknowledge the importance of common cultural values, lifestyles, etc. Theorists like Marx and Durkheim are concerned with money and power and what these things do to those who have them, when they are confronted with those that do not. This is much like the human body, which is made up of many individual cells and organs and such that have specific jobs. A society's culture thus consists of rules, norms, or institutions regarding how to think, feel, and express oneself. According to class theory, there are sharp divisions between the various classes while supporters of stratification theory claim that there are sliding transitions between the various social layers. In comparing the various theorists, it can be seen that both Karl Marx and Max Weber had great influence on the modern theorists of today. Theories that were created or mentioned quite some time ago have been modified somewhat by a few theorists, but the basic principles of the social conflict theory established by Karl Marx still hold true today. One of the main contributions of Max Weber, for example, was stratification theory. Thus, according to stratification theory, disparity and conflicts stretch across all layers of society. Stratification theory considers a society based on quantitative measurements. Durkheim is not the only sociologist, however, that addresses capitalist society and the issues that can and do arise from it. They do their own thing but if you put them all together they make up a human being. Durkheim calls this 'organic solidarity.
Common topics in this essay:
Max Weber,
Marx Marx',
According Durkheim,
Emile Durkheim,
Principles Sociology,
DOL Durkheim,
Comte DOL,
Theorists Weber,
Spencer Durkheim,
stratification theory,
Comte Spencer,
contractual solidarity,
class theory,
social solidarity,
max weber,
karl marx,
skilled workers,
dol durkheim,
married couple,
individuals human,
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