SOCI 1F90 Lecture Notes - Lecture 4: Mechanical And Organic Solidarity, Class Consciousness, Thomas Theorem
11 May 2015
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Document Summary
Theory: a statement that tries to explain how certain facts or variables are related to predict future events. Natural state: hobbes" conception of the human condition before the emergence of formal social structures. Ideal types: classic or pure forms of a given social phenomenon. Philosophes: french philosophers during the enlightenment period who advocated critical thinking and practical knowledge. Organic analogy: the belief that society is like an organism with independent and interrelated parts. Survival of the fittest: spencer"s interpretation of biological principles to justify why only the strong should survive. Natural selection: the biologically based principle that environmental pressures allow certain beneficial traits to be passed on to future generations. Evolution: the biological process by which genetic mutations are selected for, and against, through environmental pressures. Social darwinism: spencer"s assertion that societies evolve according to the same principles as do biological organisms. Laissez-faire: a point of view that opposes regulation of or interference with natural processes.
