SOC 2112 Chapter Notes - Chapter 9: Externality, Methodological Individualism, Crystallization

• School: University of Ottawa
• Department: Sociology
• Course: SOC 2112
• Professor: Joseph Sawan

Document Summary

Introduction: while durkhei(cid:373) has (cid:373)ade refere(cid:374)(cid:272)es i(cid:374) regard to (cid:862)fu(cid:374)(cid:272)tio(cid:374)(cid:863), this side of his a(cid:374)al(cid:455)sis was generally neglected within functionalist sociology and anthropology, durkhei(cid:373) e(cid:373)plo(cid:455)s a (cid:862)di(cid:272)hoto(cid:373)(cid:455)(cid:863) of so(cid:272)iet(cid:455) a(cid:374)d the i(cid:374)di(cid:448)idual (cid:449)hi(cid:272)h is (cid:272)e(cid:374)tral to his theory. Criticisms: his methodology of individualism was key for advancement as the starting point seemed as a utilitarian philosophy demonstrating an importance for the discipline. In turn creating three groups of facts being studied: religion, moral/legal and economic factors. Establishing sociology as a distinctive subject matter (social phenomena had a reality of its own. These social phenomena must be analyzed through rigorous and objective methods. Next, it would be to combine the results in order to demonstrate the entire nature of the social phenomenon and the principles that came about (synthesis, how they came together to form an entity). This is the justification of general sociology. As a result, giving his theory a structuralist nature which is its most distinctive characteristic.