2019 UPSC: Sociology Paper I: Solved

Discuss the historical antecedents of the emergence of sociology as a discipline. (150 words) 10 marks.

Model Answer:

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Sociology, emerged first in Europe as a response to the “social and intellectual climate” prevailing in Europe of that time. In order to understand the emergence of sociology in Europe one needs to appreciate the relationship between society and ideas.

The emergence of sociology as a ‘scientific discipline’ can be traced to that period of European history, which saw much tremendous social, political and economic changes as embodied in the ‘French Revolution’ and the ‘Industrial Revolution’. This period of change in European society is known as the ‘Enlightenment Period.’ The Enlightenment Period marked a radical change from the traditional thinking of feudal Europe. It introduced the ‘new way of thinking’ and looking at reality. It challenged each and every central feature of old Europe. Classes were reorganized. Religion lost its important position. Monarchy was overthrown. Democracy was heralded in.

The Enlightenment appears as the most appropriate point of departure in the study of the origins of sociological theory. Firstly, a ‘scientific approach’ to the study of society dates back to that period. The eighteenth century thinkers began more consistently than any of their predecessors to study the human conditions in a scientific way using the ‘methods of the natural sciences.’ Secondly, the eighteenth century thinkers upheld ‘reason’ as a measure to judge social institutions and their suitability for human nature. By criticizing and changing social institutions human beings can create for themselves even greater degrees of freedom, in turn actualizing their potentialities.

Three other ‘intellectual influences’ current in the post-Enlightenment period influenced the emergence of sociology in Europe.

a) The Philosophy of History: The basic assumption of this philosophy was that society must have progressed through a series of steps from simple to complex stage. It’s contribution on the philosophical side to sociology can be seen in the notions of development and progress. On the scientific side, it has given the concepts of historical periods of social types. The contributions of August Comte, Herbert Spencer, Karl Marx and many others reflected the impact this intellectual trend in their sociological writings.

b) The influence of the philosophy of history was further reinforced by the Biological theories of evolution. It tended to be modeled on biology, as is evident from the widely diffused conception of society as an organism, and form the attempts to formulate general terms of ‘social evolution. ‘Herbert Spencer and Emile Durkheim reflect this kind of writing.

c) Social survey forms as important elements in modern sociology. It emerged due to two reasons, one was the growing conviction that the methods of the natural sciences should and could be extended to the study of human affairs. The other was the concern with poverty (‘the social problem’), following the recognition that poverty was not natural but social. It argues that through the ‘knowledge of the social conditions’ one can arrive at solutions to solve the social problems prevalent in society. Scientific methods thus came to be regarded as the most accurate, the most objective.

The social conditions stimulated the pioneers of Sociology and provided the relevant themes of the emerging discipline of sociology. The French Revolution brought about far reaching changes in not only French society but in societies throughout Europe. It changed the ‘political structure’ of European society and replaced the age of feudalism by heralding the ‘arrival of democracy’. These significant themes included the transformation of property, the social disorder, caused by the change in the political structure and its impact on the economic structure.

As a result of the Industrial revolution and a change in the economy of society several social changes followed. As capitalism became more and more complex, new class of industrial workers, managers, capitalists emerged. The industrial cities grew rapidly. In the industrial cities socio-economic disparities were very wide. City life in the industrial society became an altogether a different way of life. A new population earning their livelihood by working in the factories arose. In the early years this working class lived in poverty and squalor and were socially deprived but at the same time they were indispensable in the new industrial system. This made them a powerful social force. The traditional emphasis on land lost its value while money or capital became important during the Industrial Revolution.

The feudal landlord lost their importance and new capitalist class gained power. Property is related to economic privileges, social status and political power. A change in the property system involves a change in the fundamental character of society. Urbanization was a necessary corollary of the Industrial Revolution. Ancient cities were known as repositories of civilized graces and virtues while the new cities were known as repositories of ‘misery and inhumanity.’ It was these aspects of the new cities, which concerned the early sociologists.

Technology and the factory system have been the subject of countless writings in the nineteenth century. The impact of technology and factory system led to large-scale migration of people to the cities. Family relations changed. Relation between the labourers and the products of their labour changed and they worked for their wages. Life and work became depersonalized.

These changes moved both conservative and radical thinkers. The conservatives feared that such conditions would lead to ‘chaos and disorder.’ The radicals felt that this would lead to social transformation. Though the judgement of values differed, social thinkers of the time were agreed upon the epoch-making impact of the two Revolutions. Therefore, certain changes taking place in the eighteenth and nineteenth century in Europe bothered social thinkers. Sociology thus grew essentially as a product of the reflections of the great thinkers reflecting on society

 

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