The Contributions of Marx, Weber and Durkheim in the Development of the Recent Sociological Theories (Coursework Sample)

The Contributions of Marx, Weber and Durkheim in the Development of the Recent Sociological Theories
Lilian Wanjiro
Sociology 101
September 14, 2016
The Contributions of Marx, Weber and Durkheim in the Development of the Recent Sociological Theories
It is important to understand the philosophical ideas that existed in the past to have a clear picture of the contribution made by Marx, Weber and Durkheim in the development of the modern sociological theories. These philosophers concentrated on the examination of the major problems that the society faced such as hunger, underdevelopment and corruption. As a result, the ancient philosophers could neither account nor resolve the problems facing the society. Marx argued that the philosophers only did interpret what was in the history rather than changing the history. As a result of the shortcomings of the ancient sociological theories, there was the need to transform the beliefs that the society held and this would result to transformed living standards.
In the modern sociological theories, Marx has made two major contributions that have led to the transformation of the society. To begin with, the idea in the Marxism theory shows that the society is made up of different classes, group, and authority which are linked with the organization of the society. Furthermore, capitalism results from the existence of the classes and conflicts between the working class and the owners of capital are witnessed. Secondly, he argued that the society is a result of the struggles that are carried out by the different classes in the society. The Marxism theory also states that social processes are not uniform instead, they contradict each other. Lastly, he argued that the society is made up of laws; however, human beings make the world what it is through their actions.[Emile Durkheim, The rules of sociological method: and selected texts on sociology and its Method (New York: Simon and Schuster, 2014), 39.]
On the other hand, Weber is known for his contribution in identifying the relationship between religious and economic sociology. The theory suggested that the rise of the Protestants was related to market capitalism since whenever a change was imposed in the religious institutions, there was an impact in the economy as well. In addition, Weber argued that the value assigned to an action is equivalent to the sensory experience. In another contribution, Weber argued that bureaucracy as the wave of governance where people would acquire leadership positions based on how competent they are.[Ibid., 46]
Durkheim is regarded as the father of social sciences since he established psychology and social sciences as areas of study in college levels. Also, he studied the acts of suicide where he discovered that the absence of social integration contributed to suicidal incidences. Additionally, he is also known for the study of deviance where he made claims that deviance was not unusual in the society. He identified some four functions of deviance among them being that deviance affirmed cultural norms, establishment of moral boundaries, resulted in a community and it encourages changes in the society. Lastly, he wrote several books on sociology, among them being &...