What is Sociology?

Only 4 months after I began this blog, it's now time for the sixth and final introductory post, and this one is about the topic for which most people's first question is 'What is Sociology?' Read on to find out!


What is Sociology?

The short answer is the sociology is the study of society. The longer answer is that sociology is the study of human life, social groups, entire societies and the human world as a whole. It is the central social science around which the other social sciences, including economics, political science and human geography, revolve.

It deals not only with how society functions, but also how, and why, societies transform over time. It ranges from macro-sociology, or the study of entire societies (such as countries), to micro-sociology, which is concerned with the everyday interactions between people. There are, of course, intermediate levels, such as the study of small societies, such as town or neighbourhoods.

Sociology covers issues from gender to war, from health care to religion, and from globalisation to why you're reading this post right now. It is, in my opinion, the most complex and controversial science, and changes more than any other that I can think of, but is ultimately the most important, as I'll explain later.


Approaches in Sociology

There are a plethora of theoretical approaches in sociology, but these are dominated by three central approaches: functionalism, conflict theories and symbolic interactionism. It is important to note that these are not grand theories of societies' functioning and change, but approaches that help sociologists develop theories of human society. The theoretical approaches provide a framework for sociological research, without which there would most likely be a jumbled mess of theories, and  little to no progress in our understanding of society.

The first theoretical approach to be developed, and for a while considered the only approach, is functionalism. Originally proposed by the fouder of sociology, Auguste Comte, as well as Emile Durkheim, functionalism treats society as having various components that work together to produce stability and solidarity. Therefore, theories based on the functionalist approach tend to relate to how parts of society relate and interact with other parts, as well as society as whole. One analogy is treating society like the human body, with various organs (social institutions) working together to keep the person alive (keep society stable and functioning). However, the approach has been criticised for its emphasis on macrosociology, and its failure to explain societal conflict and change.

From left to right: Marx, Comte, Durkheim

The second approach is the conflict theories. Karl Marx, although not actually a sociologist, is often credited with founding this area of sociological thought. While functionalism sees society as being stable, conflict theorists view it as being fraught with conflicts between groups and individuals, both open and underlying. This could be conflict between religious, racial and national groups, but is most often considered to be between different economic groups (the Marxist approach). Oppositely to functionalism, the conflict approach has been criticised for its lack of focus on how societies can remain stable.

The third approach, symbolic interactionism, has not been as influential as the first two. Max Weber is usually considered to have founded this school of sociology in his work on the origins of capitalism. This approach concentrates on, as its name suggest, interactions between individual people, in the form of symbols - meaning anything that can stand for something, such as a word or gesture.While the functionalist approach sees society as having a controlling or limiting effect on its members, symbolic interactionism stresses the ability of individuals to shape society. Symbolic interactionism has been criticised for its lack of explanation for larger institutions and macrosociological phenomena.

In recent years, many sociologists have tried to create theoretical syntheses that take elements for some or all of the classical approaches to sociology. It is probable that no single approach will be enough to develop theories for every element of society, from the micro to the macro level, and from societal stability to collapse.


Why Bother?

I've touched briefly on the importance of sociology to humanity's prospering, and perhaps its very survival. On a wider level, sociology is crucial to successful policy making. It's useless implementing sweeping reforms that might look great on paper when it's impact on people, and their likely reaction, hasn't been considered. Without an understanding of social dynamics, any government initiatives can easily backfire.

Through sociology, and the other social sciences, we can begin to get an idea of what the future may hold for human civilisation, and possible directions that society will take. Sociology also aids us in finding solutions to pressing crises, such as climate change, energy/food insecurity and the danger of international conflict,  that will take the differing nature of human societies into account when trying to avert disaster.

On a personal level, studying sociology provides a greater awareness of cultural differences, from which it is possible to gain a higher level of tolerance of other people, and the ability to carefully consider what circumstances others might be in before labelling them as a 'chav', 'snob', 'bible-basher' or any other class that it is so easy to place people into without more that a moment's thought (sorry for how long that sentence was).

It has provided me with an interesting challenge in that it is important to put your personal beliefs and values aside in sociology. Possessing the strong opinions that I have, this was a difficult thing to accomplish, but I believe that it has helped to me strengthen and develop them further, having been able to re-consider my views from a different perspective.



 - Daniel