Whos Who of Sociology Auguste Comte often credited
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Who’s Who of Sociology
Auguste Comte • often credited with being the founder of sociology because he was the first to suggest that the scientific method be applied to the study of the social world • Focused on positivism- the application of the scientific approach to the social world
Herbert Spencer • believed that societies evolve from barbarian to civilized forms • He was the first to use the expression “the survival of the fittest” – social evolution depended on the survival of the most capable and intelligent and the extinction of the less capable. • His views became known as social Darwinism
Karl Marx • believed that social development grew out of conflict between social classes; • under capitalism, this conflict was between the bourgeoisie-those who own the means to produce wealth-and the proletariat-the mass of workers. • His work is associated with the conflict perspective
Emile Durkheim • responsible for getting sociology recognized as a separate discipline. • He was interested in studying how social forces shape individual behavior • Focused on social integration-the degree to which people are tied to their social groups
Max Weber • Argued individuals always interpret the meaning of their own behavior and act according to these interpretations – Sociologist must find out how people feel or think about their own behavior • Sociologists should adopt a method Verstehen- empathetic understanding of their subject – Putting themselves mentally in the position of their subject
Jane Addams • One of the founders of US sociology and social work • Hull House- center for social reform and research in Chicago • Most activists at Hull House were women • Organize citizens and lobby political leaders to eliminate social problems
W. E. B. Du. Bois • Focused research on racial problems • Believed knowledge was the way to combat prejudice • Founded the Niagra Movement and helped create the NAACP