Sociology Essay Memo

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RM BMCC

Professor Gonzalez

Sociology 1

Response Memo 1

In Anthony Gidden’s first chapter “Sociology: Theory and Method,” he explains the

various theories and methods within the field of sociology. He begins by explaining the

sociological imagination​, an empirical mindset in which an individual must have in order to

ask sociological questions. He then presents the most prominent sociological theories from

August Comte, Herbert Spencer, Emile Durkheim, Karl Marx, Max Weber, Harriet Martineau,

and W.E.B. Du Bois. In this response, I will focus on the sociological theory of Emile

Durkheim.

Durkheim’s theory focused on “social facts.” He believed that social life needed to be

studied in the same objective way that scientific studies are conducted. Within this lens of

observation, social laws could be discovered. Furthermore, Durkheim believed that for society to

function properly, various institutions and systems such as politics, religion, the family, and the

educational system have to all work in harmony. He called this idea, ​organic solidarity​ and

likened it to the way that the various systems of the human body work together to keep the

human alive and healthy as a whole. However, he notes that within societies there are various

“social constraints” that limit the actions of individuals whether they know it or not. These social

constraints encourage a social life that can lead to ​anomie ​, “the feeling of aimlessness or despair

provoked by modern social life” that can lead to suicide. (Giddens 12). It was important to

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Durkheim to study the patterns and correlations between social life and anomie. He concluded

that a lack of organic solidarity would continue to perpetuate the phenomenon of suicide.

Upon reflecting on Durkheim's theory and ideas, it seems to me that spirituality and

religion are the components of society that need strengthening to conduct proper organic

solidarity and eliminate the feeling of anomie among individuals. As Durkheim had stated,

“social development breaks down traditional moral controls and standards that were supplied by

religion,” leaving people to develop their concepts of morality and ultimately producing

individualistic social laws, rather than community-oriented laws. A primary example of this

transformation was the Industrial Revolution. People at the time altered their mindsets to become

more materialistic to keep up with the consumer evolution of society. Within this transformation

came the rise of capitalism which inherently requires the exploitation of people, to function.

Religion was slowly becoming outdated and therefore had to morph in order to stay alive.

However, redefining religion, specifically, Christianity did more harm than good by

creating confusion between morality and the purpose of life. Ultimately, the various institutions

of society became compartmentalized therefore, defeating the process of organic solidarity and

encouraging anomie and suicide. For religion to function properly within society, there must be

an understanding of a universal truth and that is, that all people are united in their origin of

creation whether it be divine or organic. With this fundamental understanding, social laws and

patterns are developed with the focus of fostering equality and morality among all people.

When people work together towards a universal goal there can be no set ideological

standard based on nationality i.e. a eurocentric ideology. In balancing the scales of all aspects of

human life, harmony and unity can be achieved. My question for Durkheim would have been

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whether he believed that a redefinition of religion could be the key component to achieve organic

solidarity and eliminate anomie.

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