SOSYOLOJİYE GİRİŞ - Deneme Sınavı - 3

Positivism is an approach suggesting that the social and physical world can be examined through observation and experiments. Saint-Simon, Comte and others used the concept “positive or positivism” as equivalent to “scientific”. The correct answer is A.

Comte summarizes his ideas about this point of view in his well-known evolution theory known as “law of the three stages”, which he developed under the influence of the studies by Saint-Simon. Thus Auguste Comte is the founder of the theory.  The correct answer is B.

Herbert Spencer developed a social transformation theory that was similar to the evolutionary development of a biological organism mentioned in Darwin’s evolution theory which is called Social Darwinism. The correct answer is D.

Karl Marx developed a theory called historical materialism, which had a great influence in the field. In this theory, which emphasizes the importance of economic factors rather than thoughts and values in social transformation. The correct answer is E.

Durkheim, in his well-known work titled Suicide, examines the changes in the cases of suicides in order to depict that suicide is a social fact although it seems to be an individual action at first. The correct answer is A.

Anomie refers to normlessness or ambiguity with regards to basic values of society. Thus the correct answer is A.

Weber, unlike positivism, also places social action into the center of sociology and sociological analysis. From this point of view, Weber’s ideas are associated with a general theoretical perspective in sociology called interactionism. The correct answer is E.

Charismatic social action is not one of the social action types. It is one of the authority and organization types in his social formation typology. The correct answer is D.

Weber, unlike positivism, also places social action into the centre of sociology and sociological analysis. According to Weber, while sociology is trying to explain social action, it should use a concept or methodological tool called ideal type instead of certain concepts used in natural sciences such as law. Weber’s sociology is called as social action, interpretative and exploratory sociology in the literature and is considered one of the best examples of a general approach in sociology called interactionism. The correct answer is B.

Conflict theories emphasize the importance of social structures in societies; however, unlike functionalism, which focuses on the consensus, they focus on power, social divisions, inequality and struggle among different groups pursuing their own interests. Unlike functionalism, these theories introduce a social analyses that emphasize conflict. The vast majority of conflict theories argue that conflict is inevitable and continues. Therefore, there is always a change in the society. On the other hand, since functionalist sociologists deal with society as a functional unity, they are mainly interested in order, balance, harmony, stability and collaboration. Critical theorists have argued that the problem of modernity is not just the injustices and inequalities of the capitalist system, but that all modern societies are organized by instrumental rationality. On the other hand, Parsons argues in his structural-functional approach that social order stems from value consensus rather than obligation. Parsons states that what prevents society from collapsing is order, i.e how a system operates and there are certain functional obligations that needs to be fulfilled to ensure the operation of the system and each system has its sub-systems that fulfill these functions. Thus, the mutual benefit is in the centre of this approach. The correct answer is D.

According to symbolic interactionism, society is the product of individuals’ symbolic interactions in social life. Just like Weber, symbolic interactionism also emphasizes the importance of social action, social interaction and interpretation processes in sociology. However, symbolic interactionism is a micro-oriented approach that deals with everyday life. Symbolic interactionists claim that social order is based on the meanings we attribute to everything in our world (objects, events, actions etc.). Symbolic interactionists have often been criticized for focusing on small-scale, face-to-face interactions and not referring to their relationship to historical and social context. However, the symbolic interaction approach has an important weight and domain in sociology. The correct answer is B.

Postmodernism has received serious criticism that it is a meta-narrative as well as the meta-narratives it criticizes, and that it is a pessimistic approach that ultimately leads to nihilism. At this point, Giddens (2009) argues that postmodernism has recently lost its importance, especially in the face of globalization theories, and that globalization theories are more explanatory in understanding the direction of social change in today’s 21st century societies. The correct answer is C.

It is emphasized that the most significant contribution of Saint-Simon to the development of sociology is the term industrial society, which successfully influenced both the radicals like Marx and the conservative theoreticians like Comte at same time by reflecting both socialist and conservative point of views.

Auguste Comte examines “society” within an evolutionist and positivist framework. Saint-Simon contributed to the development of sociology with his studies, and Comte used the term “sociology” for the first time and established a tradition known as positivist sociology. Thus, he is agreed to be the founder of sociology by some researchers in the field.

Theological stage: In this stage, the human mind tries to explain everything through supernatural forces.

Metaphysical stage: In this stage, the human mind tries to explain all social and physical phenomena and events through abstract forces.

Positive stage: In this stage, the human mind finally tries to explain all phenomena and events scientifically.

Spencer adapted the “natural selection” principle, which means the survival of the fittest, into social evolution and rejected any type of state interventions and social reforms that are supportive of disadvantaged individuals in social life. Some argue that Spencer used the phrase “adapters (strong ones) survive”, which is used to explain natural selection by Darwin, much earlier than him for human societies. Therefore, Spencer’s approach is also called “social Darwinism”.

"Historical materialism" emphasizes the importance of economic factors rather than
thoughts and values in social transformation and can be defined briefly as “embracing history from a materialist point of view”, Marx specifically focuses on production.

The "base" consists of economic structure (means of production
and relations of production) and "superstructure" consists of law, politics, religion, family and ideologies.

Marx suggests that all societies except those he called primitive communal are class societies divided into two classes: who own the means of production and those who do not.

“Surplus value” refers to the difference between the value produced by workers and the payment they are given. Workers are often paid less than they deserve and the remaining “surplus value” becomes the “profit” for the capitalist.

Durkheim defines collective conscience as the common beliefs and feelings of the members of a society.

Durkheim states that if this collective value system guiding individuals and ensuring the continuity of social life weakens due to rapid social changes, a dangerous fact called anomie, emerges. Anomie is a fact that refers to normlessness or ambiguity with regards to basic values of society.