Emile Durkheim and Max Weber

Paper Summary:

This paper explains that, while Max Weber explores the rational for religion and government, Emile Durkheim's biggest concern in his writings is how society can maintain its integrity in the modern era. The author points out that the differences between Durkheim and Weber are few although they did observer society from opposite ends of the spectrum. The paper relates that, while Durkheim focused on the social aspects of society, Weber focused on the economic aspects and bureaucracy. The author underscores that both philosophers felt a need to break away from the traditions that surrounded them, to modernize society and to help it evolve. The paper states that Weber's understanding of the connotations of people's actions gave him insight into the evolution of a modern society; whereas, Durkheim was a Darwinist who believed that basing science on a single hypothesis was not a reliable choice.

From the Paper:

"Durkheim is often referred to as the father of sociology. He was concerned that shared religious and ethnic backgrounds prevented society from maintaining its integrity. Along with Herbert Spencer Durkheim broke society up into categories defined by the function they held in society and whether or not they contributed to the health of society. Durkhiem was opposed to Weber's view that society was a sum of its parts. He believed that the action of individual people is what created a healthy society. His theory was called methodological Individualism."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Koch, Andrew. Rationality, Romanticism and the Individual: Max Weber's "Modernism" and the Confrontation with "Modernity." Canadian Journal of Political Science. Vol. No. (1993): 123-144.
• Lemert, Charles. Social theory: the multicultural and classic readings. Boulder, CO: Westview Press, 1999.
• Mccaughan, Edward. "Race, Ethnicity, Nation, and Class within Theories of Structure and Agency." Social Justice. Vol. 20 (1993): 42-56.
• Pope, Whitney. "Concepts and Explanatory Structure in Durkheim's Theory of Suicide." The British Journal of Sociology. Vol. 26, No. 4 (1975): 417-434.

More papers on Emile Durkheim and Max Weber:

• Term Paper # 144570 : "Karl Marx, Emile Durkheim and Max Weber"
• Term Paper # 106852 : "Emile Durkheim and Max Weber on Religion"
• Comparison Essay # 133587 : "Emile Durkheim and Max Weber"

APA Citation:

MLA Citation: