Sociology Assignment 

Definition, Nature & Scope, Development as a Discipline 

Definition: 
The term sociology was originated from the Latin word “socius” meaning companion or associate and the 
Greek word “logos” meaning science or study. Sociology is the study of society. It is the youngest of the 
social sciences. It studies humans, their behavior, relationships and interactions among human beings. 
Sociology has been defined in a number of ways by different sociologists. In fact, there are many definitions 
of sociology. Let’s have a look at some of them: 
 
● L.F. Ward​ says “Sociology is the science of society or of social phenomena.” 
● L.T. Hobhouse​ defines sociology as “The subject-matter of sociology is the interaction of human 
minds”. 
● The founding father of Sociology, ​Auguste Comte,​ defines sociology as the “science of social 
phenomena.” 
● Emile Durkheim​ says “Sociology is the science of social institutions.” 
● Ogburn​ and ​Nimkoff​ says “Sociology is the scientific study of social life.” 
● Robert E. Park​ regards sociology as “the science of collective behavior.” 
● Ferdinand Tonnies​ says “General sociology is, on the whole, the theory of human living together.” 
● Max Weber​ defines sociology as “the study of social actions.” 
 
From the above definitions, we can say that sociology is a science that studies humans, their behavior, how 
they interact with other human beings, the relationship among them and the very society they live in. 
 

Nature: 
Robert Bierstedt​ enlisted the following natures of sociology: 
1. Sociology is an independent science. As an independent science it has it’s own field of study, 
boundary, and methods 
2. Sociology is a social science and not physical science. Sociology concentrates its attention on man, 
his behavior, social activities, and social life 
3. Sociology is categorical and not a normative science. It confines itself to the statement about what 
is, not what should be. It does not make any kind of value judgments. 
4. Sociology is pure science and not Applied Science. The aim of pure science is the acquisition of 
knowledge and does not care about its usefulness. The aim of applied science is the acquisition of 
knowledge as well as put them in use. 
5. Sociology is relatively abstract science and not a concrete science. Sociology is more concerned 
with the form of human events and their patterns. 
6. Sociology is a generalizing science and not a particularizing science. 
 7. Sociology is a general science and not a special social science. 
8. Sociology is both rational and empirical science. 

Scope: 
The scope of sociology falls under two schools of thought: 
1. Formal School 
2. Synthetic School 
 
 

Formal School of Sociology: 

● Emphasizes on giving sociology a definite subject matter of its own to make it a distinct discipline 
● Stresses upon the study of forms of social relationships and regards Sociology as independent 
 

Advocates of Formal School: 

1. Georg Simmel 
2. Ferdinand Tonnies 
3. Alfred Vierkandt 
4. Leopold Von Wiese 
 
According to ​Georg Simmel​, sociology: 
● Is a pure and independent science 
● Should confine to the study of certain aspects of human relationships only 
 
Sociology as a special science describes, classifies, analyzes and delineates the forms of social 
relationships. Social interactions have various forms and as such denote formal relationships like: 
● Subordination 
● Cooperation 
● Competition 
● Sub and superordinate relationships 
 
Georg Simmel stressed that sociology covers only the genetic forms of social relationships, 
behaviors, and activities. Sociology does not undertake to study all the activities of the society. 
 
 
So, according to Simmel, it can be said that the scope of sociology is the study of the genetic forms 
of social relationships, behaviors, and activities. 
 
 
 
Alfred Vierkandt​ says 
 
 Sociology should be concerned with the ultimate forms of mental or psychic relationships, which 
link men to another in society. 
 
The subject matter of sociology is the ultimate form of mental relationships like Love, Hatred, Cooperation, 
and Competition. 
 
 
When describing the scope of sociology, M ​ ax Weber​ says 
 
The aim of sociology is to interpret or understand social behavior and social action. 
 
 
Not all human interactions are social. He contends that - 
 
The scope of sociology consists in the interpretation of social behavior. 
 
 
According to Leopold Von Wiese, there are two kinds of fundamental social processes in human society: 
1. Associative processes: contact, cooperation, adaptation, integration, etc. 
2. Disassociative processes: competition and conflict. 
 
 
Ferdinand Tonnies​, on the basis of the degree of intimacy among the members of the society, divided 
societies into Gemeinschaft (Community) and Gesellschaft (Association). 
 
Formal school extremely narrowed the scope of sociology because it - 
● Emphasized on merely abstract forms of relationships 
● Neglected the concrete contents of social life 
 
 

Synthetic School of Sociology: 

Synthetic school of sociology  
● Treats the subject matter of sociology as huge, complex, and varied 
● Stresses upon the study of sociology to be the synthesis of the social sciences thus wanted to 
widen the scope of sociology. 
 
Synthetic School defines sociology as a synthesis of the social sciences or general science. 
 

Advocates of Formal School: 

1. Emile Durkheim 
 2. Morris Ginsberg 
3. Pitirim Aleksandrovich Sorokin 
4. Karl Mannheim 
 
Durkheim​ argues that sociology has three main divisions namely -  
1. Social Morphology 
2. Social Physiology 
3. General Sociology 
 
Social Morphology studies the geographical or territorial basis of life of people like - 
● Population 
● Size 
● Density 
● Distribution and more 
 
Social Physiology studies the origin and nature of various social institutions like - 
● Religion 
● Morals 
● Law 
● Economy 
● Education 
● Kinship and others 
 
In General Sociology, the main aim is to formulate general social laws by locating the links among various 
social institutions. 
 
 
Karl Mannheim​ divided sociology into two main sections: 
1. General Sociology: the Main factor of living together 
2. Historical Sociology: Historical forms of society 
a. Comparative Sociology: Historical variations, comparisons between societies, and its units 
b. Social Dynamics: Interrelations between the various social factors and institutions in society 
 
 
In this context, it can be said that Sociology is the science of sciences or the mother of all sciences. Thus 
on the basis of the discussion, the scope of sociology can be highlighted as - 
1. Sociology analyses the various institutions, associations and social groups, which are results of 
social relationships of individuals 
2. The links among different parts of society 
3. Causes and factors of social behavior which lead to social stability and social change 
4. Trends of change in society 
5. Consequences of change 
 
The British Sociological Association recognized three basic categories of sociology: 
 1. Sociology is conceptual - ideas about society devised as concepts to describe and explain the 
working society. 
2. Concepts are tested through empirical research that is research involving the investigation of 
particular aspects of society and the way people interact with each other. 
3. Sociology is the one social science that embraces the whole range of human activities and this 
makes it a very wide field of study. 
 
 
 

Development of Sociology as a Separate Discipline: 

Since ancient times, people have been fascinated by human relationships and the societies to which they 
belong. Many topics studied in sociology were also studied by the ancient philosophers. 
 
In the thirteenth century, Ma Tuan-Lin, a Chinese historian, first recognized social dynamics as an underlying 
component of historical development in his seminal encyclopedia, General Study of Literary Remains. The 
next century saw the emergence of the historian some consider to be the world’s first sociologists, Ibn 
Khaldun of Tunisia. He wrote about many topics of interest today. 
 
In the eighteenth century, the Age of Enlightenment philosophers developed general principles that could be 
used to explain social life. 
 
Thinkers such as John Locke, Voltaire, Immanuel Kant, and Thomas Hobbes responded to what they saw as 
social ills by writing on many topics that they hoped would lead to social reform. 
 
The early nineteenth century saw great changes with the Industrial Revolution, increased mobility and new 
kinds of employment. 
 

Creating a Discipline: Auguste Comte (1798-1857) 

The term sociology was first coined in 1780 by the French essayist Emanuel-Joseph Sieyes in an 
unpublished manuscript. In 1838, the term was reinvented by Auguste Comte. Comte believed in the 
potential of social scientists to work toward the betterment of society. Comte named the scientific study of 
social patterns positivism. He described his philosophy in a series of books named ​The Course of Positive 
Philosophy​ and ​A General View of Positivism. 
 

Harriet Martineau (1802-1876): The First Woman Sociologist 

Harriet Martineau was a writer and addressed a wide range of social issues. She was an early observer of 
social practices including economics, social classes, suicide, government, and women’s rights. Her writing 
career began in 1831 with a series of stories titled I​ llustrations of Political Economy​ in which she tried to 
educate ordinary people about the principles of economics. Martineau was the first to translate Comte’s 
writings to English and thereby introducing sociology to English-speaking scholars. 
Karl Marx (1818-1883) : 
Karl Marx was a German philosopher and economist. In 1848 he and Friedrich Engels co-authored ​The 
Communist Manifesto​. This book is one of the most influential political manuscripts in history. It also 
presents Marx’s theory of society, which differed from what Comte proposed. 
 
He rejected Comte’s positivism. He believed that societies grew and changed as a result of the struggles of 
different social classes over the means of production. At the time he was developing his theories, the 
Industrial Revolution and the rise of capitalism led to great disparities in wealth between the factory owners 
and workers. Marx predicted that the inequalities of capitalism would become so extreme that workers 
would eventually revolt. This would lead to the collapse of capitalism, which would be replaced by 
communism. Communism is an economic system under which there is no private or corporate ownership: 
everything is owned communally and distributed as needed. Marx believed that communism was a more 
equitable system than capitalism. 
 
While his economic predictions may not have come true to the time frame he predicted, Marx’s idea that 
social conflicts lead to social changes is still one of the major theories used in modern sociology. 
 
 

Herbert Spencer (1820-1903) : 

In 1873, the English philosopher Herbert Spencer published T
​ he Study of Sociology​, the first book with the 
term sociology in its name.  

😎 - Zibon - 😎