Some of the early figures that helped establish sociology as a scientific discipline were Auguste Comte, Harriet Martineau, Herbert Spencer, Karl Marx, Emile Durkheim, and Max Weber. Auguste Comte was known as the father of sociology. He first used the term in 1838, being the first to coin the term sociology. Harriet Martineau translated Comte’s work from French to English. She was a pioneer in the sociological field; she wrote over 1,500 columns, about 61 books, and advocated for freedom and emancipation of women and slaves. Herbert Spencer was known for comparing society to living organisms. He stated that both consisted of interdependent systems that promoted the stability of the society. Karl Marx was known for his accuracy in his prediction for the expansion of global capitalism. Marx developed a theory that society progressed through a class conflict between the proletariat and the bourgeoisie.
Emile Durkheim helped define and establish the field of sociology as an academic discipline. Durkheim believed that society exerted a powerful force on individuals. Max Weber was known for his thesis for the “Protestant ethic,” relating Protestantism to capitalism, and for his ideas on bureaucracy. Weber’s conflict theory posits that there are three main sources of conflict: economic, social, and political.
Sociological theory is made up of concepts that have practical application and explanatory relevance to daily life. These concepts are analytical ideas, also known as methodology. This theory is a way to explain different aspects of social interactions and social structures as well as to create a testable proposition about society. Sociology is human behavior that is shaped by the groups to which people belong and by the social interaction that takes place within those groups. Sociologists study social events, interactions, and patterns. This is then developed into a theory in an attempt to explain why things work as they do. Sociological theories seek to explain social phenomena. Social theory refers to ideas, arguments, hypotheses, thought experiments, and explanatory speculations about how and why human societies come to be formed, change, and develop over time.
Sociology is unique from other scientific theories due to its practice of drawing on a larger societal context to explain social phenomena. Sociological theory is a set of ideas that provides an explanation about society. It uses theoretical frameworks and empirical research methods to study social life, social change, social structure, and the causes and consequences of human behavior in a wide variety of social contexts.
Work Cited
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Lengermann, P. M., & Niebrugge, G. (2006). The women founders: Sociology and social theory 1830–1930, a Text/Reader. Waveland Press.