What did Four Founding Fathers (Comte, Spencer, Durkheim and Weber) of Sociology did in Common ?

These "Four pioneers" - Comte, Spencer, Durkheim and Weber - it seems, agreed upon the proper subject-matter of Sociology.

1. Firstly, all of them urged the sociologists to study a wide range of institutes from the family to the state.
2. Secondly, they agreed that a unique subject-matter for sociology is found in the interrelations among different institutions.
3. Thirdly, they came to the common consensus on the opinion that society as a whole can be taken as a distinctive unit of sociological analysis. They assigned sociology the task of explaining wherein and why societies are alike or different.
4. Finally, they insisted that sociology should focus on 'social acts' or 'social relationships' regardless of their institutional setting. This view was most clearly expressed by Weber.
   

Max Weber (1864 - 1920)

Max Weber's approach is almost contrary to that of Durkheim. For Weber, the individual is the basic unit of the society . He opines that the finding of sociological laws is but a means to understand man. In his system, sociological laws are "empirically established probabilities or statistical generalisations of the course of social behavior of which an interpretation can be given in terms of typical motives and intentions. Sociological method is a combination of inductive or statistical generalisation with verstchen (understanding) interpretation by the aid of an ideal type of behavior, that is, assumed to be rationally or purposefully determined".

Weber devoted much of his efforts to expand a special method called the method of understanding (verstchen) for the study of social phenomena. He stressed the importance of maintaining objectively and neutrality of value-judgement in social sciences. He wrote much on such topics as religion; various aspects of economic life, including money and the division of labour, political parties and other forms of political organisation and authority; bureaucracy and other varieties of larger-scale organisation; class and caste; the city; and music. His influence on contemporary sociologists especially those of analytic school is rapidly increasing. His major works are: Economics and Society, The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism, The City, Bureaucracy and various other books and essays.

Emile Durkheim (1858 - 1917)

Prof. Durkheim, the French thinker, like Spencer, considered societies as such to be important units of sociological analysis. He stressed the importance of studying different types of society comparatively "Comparative Sociology is not a particular branch of sociology; it is sociology itself,"
he maintained.

In Durkheim's theory the ultimate social reality is the group, not the individual. Social life has to be analysed in terms of 'social facts', according to him. Social facts are nothing but collective ways of thinking , feeling and acting which through coming from the individual, "are external" to him and expert an external "constraint" or pressure on him. These social facts are the proper study of sociology and to them all social phenomena should be reduced, he opined. Further, each social fact, he felt, must be released "to a particular social milieu, to a definite type of society".

Durkheim also mentioned various fields of sociological inquiry such as - General Sociology, 'Sociology of Religion, Sociology of Law and Morals, including sub-sections on political organisations, social organisation, marriage and family; The sociology of Crime, Economic Sociology including studies on urban and rural communities; and Sociology of Aesthetics. His major works are: The division of Labour in Society, The rules of Sociological Method, Suicide, The Elementary Forms of Republic Life.

Karl Marx (1818 - 1883)

Karl Marx is was one of the most important thinkers of the 19th century. He wrote brilliantly on subjects such as philosophy, political science, economics and history. He never called himself a sociologist, but his work is very rich in sociological insights. Hence he is regarded as one of most profound and original sociological thinkers. His influence has been tremendous. Millions of people throughout the world accept it theories with almost religious fervour.

Marx believed that the task of the social scientist was not merely to describe the world, it was to change it. Whereas Spencer saw social harmony and inevitability of progress, Marx saw social conflict and the inevitability of revolution. The key of history, he believed is class conflict the bitter struggle between the capitalist and the labours or between those who own the means of producing wealth and those who do not. Marx also believed that the historic struggle would end only with overthrow of the ruling exploiters, and the establishment of a free, harmonious, classless society. Marx placed too much emphasis on the economic base of society. Marx thought that the economic base of the society influence the general character of all other aspects of culture and social structure, such as law, religion, education, government etc.

Modern sociologists thought reject many teachings of Marx, do generally recognise the fundamental influence of the economy on other areas of society. The 'conflict approach' to the study of social phenomena devoted by Marx is still in currency. Later sociologists and social thinkers could hardly escape the influence of Marxian ideas and theories. Great number of writers and thinkers still subscribe to his views and theories.