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Sociology 2 Essay, Research Paper

Sociology is a field which developed over a millennia ago, but it was not until the nineteenth century that it came into the fore as a bona fide social science, in need of its own classification apart from other social sciences. Sociology, the study of the process of companionship (pg.396, Ambercrombie,Hill,Turner), is a discipline, which is not exclusively independent in and of its self, yet borrows from many other disciplines such as: history, geography, and anthropology.

American sociology is fundamentally analytical and empirical; it proposes to examine the way of life of individuals in the societies prefers to explain institutions and structures in terms of the behavior of individuals and the goals, mental states, and motives which determine the behavior of members of various social groups (pg.5,Aron).

A specialization within Sociology is social stratification. This segment of sociology attempts to deal with the structures of any given society and ones relationship with the institution. Social stratification means that inequality has been hardened or institutionalized, and there is a system of social relationships that determines who gets what, and why (pg.11, Kerbo). Through various paradigms, and theories we are able to come to a better understanding of social stratification.

The paradigm that is most rational to my understanding of social stratification is the critical-conflict. In this paradigm the state embodies the interests of the “common citizen,” and mediates between primitive human desires and the rational need for freedom and well being. Conflict theorists view that definitions of norms and values are also a source of conflict over who has the right to create laws and justice. As a consequence, not only behavior but also power relationships become important topics to study. Unlike the structural-functionalist view of society, which views harmony as the basis of order, conflict theorists see conflict as the natural state of social existence. Despite their critical examination of power relations, conflict theorists tend to accept the fundamental existing social arrangements, and instead of arguing for new social systems tend to argue for rearrangement of existing relations.

This paradigm (critical-conflict) shares with the uncritical-conflict paradigm an image or model of society that considers conflict and power as the key to social order (at least in present societies). The power of one group Such as an upper class or a power elite leads to social order. A powerful group is usually able to coerce or manipulate subordinate classes (through force, threat of force, withholding of jobs, or other means) because of the dominate group s influence over basic institutions in the society ( such as the economy, government, courts, and police)(pg.88, Kerbo).

The critical-conflict theorist, I feel is the most plausible is Karl Marx and his Marxian view of social stratification and inequality. Marx viewed capitalism as a mode of production that results in the exploitation and virtual enslavement of the wage laborer by the owner of capital. Marx recognized various modes of production and considered each to be associated with a particular social structure (pg. 348, Marx). Capitalism as a mode of production consisted of two factors, the means and modes of production. The means of production incorporate the material, instrument, and product of labour, and these determine the relations of production which are the relative position[s] of these individual groups to one another (pg.161, Marx). Capitalism, Marx believed, was fueled by greed for increased wealth at the expense of laborers and to the ultimate destruction of the entire system. Marx said that capitalism would, create bourgeois society (pg.363, Marx). The combination of the influence on the social structure and structural changes produced the social structure that fundamentally characterizes capitalism. Yet Marx himself predicted the fall of capitalism and the emergence of classlessness. In various writings, Marx predicts that capitalism must inevitably end with a clash between the bourgeoisie in which the proletariat finally wins the class war. They will win through a revolution, which does away with class division and private property, as we know them. After the victory of the proletariat, Marx asserts, human beings will live in a truly classless society.

One of the reasons why Marxism has fallen into such disrepute lately among many leftists has partly to do with Marx s insistence that the proletariat must lead the war against class, which is essentially a war against the bourgeoisie. Perhaps a better way of understanding Marxism, and updating the idea of revolution for the 21st Century, would be to speak of revolution as something the Middle Class and Working Class must fight together. A classless society can only be achieved when both the middle-class and the Working Class call a truce and share the spoils of war equally among themselves. Moreover, viewing revolution and a classless society as the results of a cross-class joint effort makes it clear that everyone has a stake in ending class war and capitalism. Indeed, the Working Class and Middle Class also have the bourgeoisie, who own the means of production and supply both classes with their livelihoods , as a common enemy.

The point of revolution should not be death to the Middle Class, which is often how Marx s words about the victory of the proletariat are read. If anything, revolution means death to all classes alike. Ultimately, revolution should bring a new form of social life. In a world where people work together, rather than in competition with each other, we would be capable of creating the materials and goods to ensure our survival. This post-revolutionary society would be one in which everyone would have access to the means to live comfortably. And

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