S0CIAL SCIENCES/SOCIOLOGY - Essay Example

Even in our modern society, there is a high use and dependence on technology (Kendall, 2010). Everyday there is new technology being developed, which is making jobs and other aspects more efficient. Also, cultures are becoming more homogenized. This is due to the effects of globalization and other cross-cultural actions that are uniting cultures. Different cultures operate on a picking principle in which they might select certain components of another culture and assimilate it into their own.

This is why we see things such as restaurants in other countries becoming westernized and western societies adopting aspects of other cultures. What once used to be certainties in the world are now being blurred as topics such as gender identity and love have become a more political battle out of the result of society (Butler, 2002). Karl Marx was a social philosopher who lived during the 19th century in Germany. All of Marx’s theories were derived around that of the working class and that the true power in society was centered on the working man.

He carried this belief on into all of his work accumulating into his most famous work, The Communist Manifesto. He had become disenchanted with the idea of big business and monopolies, which were driving the economy. This movement and school of thought eventually developed into what became known as Marxism. For all intents and purposes, this represented the beginning of the socialist movement, which would eventually lead to the spread of Communism throughout Russia and China. This view of society was looked at that everyone had an equal share and an equal duty to benefit in society.

The socialism would evolve out the struggle for the working man’s rights. This, under the control of whatever government, ensured that everyone had clear civil responsibilities that had to be carried out. Even today, the theory of socialism and communism still exists in countries such as North Korea and China (D’Amato, 2006). David Durkheim, along with Marx and Weber, are considered to be the prime starters and theorists in the field of sociology. Durkheim’s principle goals were to create the field of psychology, be able to apply this science to society, and analyze how society would develop as a result of factors such as religion and political orientation not staying stable.

Durkheim concentrated on what defines a society. He focused on its inherent properties as to what keeps a society together. He postulated that traits such as norms, beliefs, and values play a role in the development and integrity of a social organization. These traits made up what he termed the collective consciousness, which was the basis for society. Like Marx, the division of labor and the role that the economy plays in society was important in regards to post modernism. He felt that the increase in the division of labor was counteracting to the collective consciousness.

The collective consciousness was a way in which everyone in society could be connected. However, with the rise of increased jobs and the attempt to become more efficient, the connection is replaced with reliance and the need to do work so that one to the other could survive. Along with this disillusionment of Enlightenment, he emphasized on the abnormalities, which occur in society, these consisting of crime. He states that the reason for these abnormalities is the explosion of population. In this