Marx, Weber and Durkheim have significantly advanced
our understanding of industrial capitalist societies.
Are their theoretical contributions relevant to the analysis of the contemporary world?
Name: Miriam Brandt
ID Number: 01805436
Course Name: 1st Arts, Sociology and Politics
Course Tutor: Deirdre McHugh
Tutorial Group: No 9
For hundreds of years people have tried to find ways to understand the changes in our society. How have we evolved from a hunting and gathering society about 12,000 years ago, when humans lived totally without technology, searching continuously for food, to today’s fast-moving society, where we have modern technology at out fingertips? This paper will argue that three of sociology’s founders, Karl Marx, Max Weber and Emilie Durkheim help us understand how and why society changes. These three social thinkers, who all lived in the 19th Century and thus were witness to the greatest change in society, the industrial revolution, have all studied societies in different ways and have come up with their own theories for social change. This paper will help us answer questions, which are puzzling us in today’s modern world. Why is there such a large and ever-increasing divide between the rich and the poor? Why, when globalisation has enabled access to modern technology and information worldwide, are some countries still not embracing modern technology, e.g. computers, fax, e-mail, at the same level that Europe and USA are? Is material wealth a guarantee to happiness in today’s society and why are traditional family values declining in modern society? With the help of Marx, Weber and Durkheim’s theories we will try to answer these questions and understand today’s society.
Karl Marx (1818-1883) interpreted modern society as a largely capitalist society, where profit is made for capitalists or bourgeoisie, who have means of production (factories, land, money), by exploitation of manual labour from the working class or proletariat. Marx maintained that economic production underlies and shapes the entire society. He called technological and social process of economic production the infrastructure on which all additional social elements like religion, education, family, ideas and values are built to form the superstructure. In other words, he would explain that people’s values, ambitions and ideas are related directly to their economic position, i.e. their function in capitalist society. Marx found that “conflict between economic groups is the major engine of change” (Macionis & Plummer, p.79). “Marx’s analysis centers on destructive aspects of industrial capitalism, especially the ways in which it promotes class conflict and alienation” (Macionis & Plummer, p.79). “Alienation is the experience of isolation resulting from powerlessness” (Macionis & Plummer, p.80). Marx’s theories are relevant in today’s world when we consider the problem of class division. There is an increasing gap between unskilled working class people (e.g. factory workers, labourers) and middle/upper class people (company directors, land/property owners). Marx’s “struggle between classes” is very evident today, where working class people who want to better themselves and move out of their lower social class, find it difficult to do so. They may not be given the same opportunities as people who, for example, live in richer, more developed areas, with better facilities, i.e. education, training, employment etc. Marx’s theory on class division is also evident when we consider crime. There seem to be different social rules applied to class. We are familiar with the term “white collar crime” and the fact that this often carries lesser punishment than crime carried out by lower classes. Marx’s theory on alienation can help us understand why people who are ambitious and strive to be successful and therefore work long hours are feeling alienated from society. Workers are told what work they should do, have often no real input on the outcome of the product, often work alone and by doing repetitive work, are alienated from their own human potential. This problem is being addressed by establishing company unions and work societies who represent workers interests and combat alienation, but the industrial capitalist societies as Marx saw them are still evident in many parts of the world today.
