What does it mean to think sociologically? To think sociologically, one must first understand sociology. Allan Johnson’s text discusses his experiences with sociology. He also describes how he practices sociology every day. Later, he says that sociology is something he does in many forms. He uses it to think about the social world, write books and work with people who want to understand what’s happening in the world. Participation is something we all do. To understand social life and how people interact with it, it’s important to know what we are doing and how. Sociology can be defined as anything you wish, even meaning almost nothing. Sociology is simply the systematic study of how institutions and cultures develop, function, and change over time. It also includes relationships at a group level. Sociology studies the effects and causes of human behavior on social life and culture.
Sociological thinking must be viewed from a sociological viewpoint. What does it mean for us to have a sociallogical perspective? Sociological perspective basically means you don’t try to explain things on the basis or biological explanations. When you write about poverty and crime, don’t explain why crime is worse for women than men. These are biological explanations that are unique to each person. Instead of trying to explain why crime is more common in certain areas, like poverty or criminality, you should talk about how people are able to obtain the things they want. Beteille andre also showed the superiority his method over common sense by studying suicide. When asked why people commit suicide we are more likely to focus on how they feel. If we look at all the suicides committed in a particular year, that may explain some of them. However, what happens when we add all those suicides together? What can that number tell us about the world? And, even more important, what does it reveal about ourselves? Emile Durkheim, one the founders in sociology, was asked this question. He maintained tirelessly that systematic investigation was impossible without an investigator who had gotten rid of all preconceptions about the subject. These preconceptions were often based on limited experience and were often incorrect. They also impeded the investigation of all the relevant facts. He argued that suicide was a social phenomenon whose forms and patterns couldn’t be explained by human psychology. While it might be possible to understand why one person chooses suicide, this cannot explain the suicide patterns seen in society.
Sociologically, suicide rates are a measure of a group or society. They do not reflect the individual members. Individuals may feel lonely or depressed, but societies and groups can’t feel the same. Durkheim set out to establish a distinction between suicide rate and incidence. He brought together a wide range of data to show that suicide rates vary systematically across societies. His study showed that social causes were the cause of suicides, contrary to common belief.
Durkheim discovered that suicide rates rise significantly after both an economic crash and an economic boom. Durkheim discovered that a controversial idea he had seemed to contradict common sense. He decided to test his idea as a sociologist by compiling large quantities of data and applying them to other areas of human life.
Sociological thinking can only be developed if we understand its concept in two contexts.
Allan Johnson explains in his text that the individualistic model does not work and that we must adopt a sociological outlook. First, let’s define what an individualistic approach means. Individualistic models are those that encourage us to believe that systems can change if enough people do so. But, a sociological view shows us that this is not the case. Individualistic models are misleading as they encourage us to view human behavior and experience through a narrow perspective that misses the real story. Individualistic models are also not viable because they rely on our personal sense of self-interest to find solutions. He adds later that although he may not be a racist person and may feel the need to hate it, his participation in society means that he is involved. He talks about how his sociology practice makes him aware of how he is in a larger context. This helps him release himself from personal guilt and to accept responsibility for the world he created. It also helps him to be aware of his choices and the consequences. He doesn’t feel guilty because he’s white. The creation of racism was not his fault. However, he can’t afford to think that racism or white privilege are somehow unrelated to him. We should not assume that we participate in something greater than ourselves. Social life is made up of many “we”. Sociological practice focuses on how these “we” impact what happens.
Beteille André’s text stressed the difference between sociological and common sense. Common sense isn’t just localized. It is also tied to time, place and class. It is also not reflective because it doesn’t question its origins or presuppositions. It is obvious that sociologists cannot shield their scholarly work completely from the presuppositions of their common sense. Sociology influences our sociology in a way that is more or less dependent on the common sense we have. However, how much does sociology influence our common sense? Common sense is limited to the experiences of specific people at particular times and places. It is related to family, marriages. Kinship, work. Worship. People tend to believe their way of doing it is the best and most practical. These people find alternative ways of doing so to be not only incongruent with common sense, but also wrong. They only see or experience different ways of thinking and acting in fragments and not in context. It is important that sociology be aware of the particular preoccupation with both similarities and differences within societies.
Sociology goes beyond the collection of facts about human societies. It also aims to analyze and place these facts in the same context. Studying sociology is difficult without having to deal with comparisons and differences. Common sense can easily create imaginary social arrangements that are free from inequality, oppression, and constraint. This could be a world where society allows me to hunt, fish, raise cattle, and criticize after dinner. Sociology is anti utopian, not unlike commonsense, because of its central preoccupation about the disjunction between reality and ideal, between human beings’ perceptions of right, proper, desirable and actual existence.
Sociology also has a anti-fatalistic orientation. Sociology doesn’t accept common sense’s limitations as permanent or inexorable. It can see the possibilities of other arrangements to accomplish the same end. No social arrangement, however beneficial, comes without its costs. It’s much harder to quantify and weigh the social costs and benefits of social arrangements than those that are purely economic. To achieve this you will need to have a refined judgment. This is possible only by carefully and methodically examining all social arrangements and how they were changed over the years. This leads us to the question value-neutrality. Sociologists agree that questions of truth are different from values judgments, and they should be distinguished using all technical means.
James Garner’s politically correct bedtime stories will make you consider sociological perspectives. He talks to children about old fairy tales and how they were rewritten in a way that a “politically-correct” adult would view them as a good and moral story for children. He makes it even more entertaining by changing the roles in which the characters are portrayed. Riding Hood sees the woodman in Little Red Riding Hood as a “sexist” and not as a hero savior.
It is false that sociologists do not have moral preferences. However, his moral preferences may be different from the common sense that is available to him. Sociological thinking is different than common sense thinking. Thinking sociologically means that we begin to look at things from this perspective. The sociological lens is applied to all things.
Sources
Johnson Allan G, 2008 Chapter 1. “The Forest, The Trees, And One Thing”, Practice What, Chapter 1.
Durkheim, Emile, 1951. Suicide: An Investigation in Sociology. Glencoe was published by The Free Press.
Beteille Andre. In 2009, the first chapter was written. 2009 Chapter 1.
Marx, Karl, Friedrich Engles.1968 German Ideology. Moscow: Progress Publishers, Beteille Andre pg.24
Durkheim Emile 1974, “Value Judgments and Jugments Of Reality” Sociology and Philosophy Glencoe, Glencoe, The Free Press, Beteille André pg.25
