2-3-16
Chapter 1:
1. Why do people in the US tend to think of the operation of society in personal terms?
People in the US tend to think of the operation of society in personal terms because of the increase of metro areas with elevated, impersonal populations. Because there is higher anonymity and less familiar, mutually beneficial relationships, people think about themselves rather than the operation of society as a machine. It’s almost as if people possess the “every man for himself” mentality. “Troubles occur within the character of the individual and within the range of his immediate relationships with others; they have to do with is self and with those limited areas of life of which he is directly and personally aware.” (pg. 4)
2. What are the practical benefits of the sociological perspective? Are there liabilities?
A practical benefit of the sociological perspective is that it enables understanding of the universally shared issues affecting our society. It allows insight into the behavioral patterns other individuals possess, ones that you can empathize with. A liability to this is the possibility of depersonalization from one's issues. The sociological perspective could allow one to look for a societal solution to a personal problem.
3. What does Mills have in mind in suggesting that by developing the sociological imagination we learn to assemble facts into social analysis?
By suggesting that the development of the sociological imagination we learn to assemble facts into social analysis, Mills is saying that we can analyze and compare the facts of ourselves with facts of society and notice a relationship. By expanding the “sociological imagination,” we can distinguish and connect the personal troubles one may have with the public issues of social structure.
Chapter 2:
1. How can we explain the fact that people within any society tend to take their own way of life for granted?
The reason people tend to take what they have for granted can be explained with the phrase “you don’t know what you have until it’s gone.” People become accustomed to their way of life, it becomes so routine that they can’t imagine living in a different way. It can be hard to see from someone else’s point of view when the baseline privilege that someone experiences could be considered luxurious by another.
2. What does Berger think is the justification for studying sociology?
Berger argues that things are not what they seem, and people who want to study sociology should take everything with a grain of salt. A sociologist must not unquestionably welcome the commonly accepted conceptions of society, and people who “prefer to believe that society is just what they were taught in sunday school” (pg. 7) should be warned.
3. What is involved in “sociological debunking?” How are others likely to respond to sociological insights?
“Sociological debunking” is going deeper than what is commonly accepted to give alternative meaning to conventional ideas. Berger states that there is debunking motif inherent in sociological consciousness, and that a sociologist will be driven to debunk the social systems in place. Others are less likely to respond to sociological insights with such enthusiasm. Those who take the world for granted should stay away from sociology. People who are content with not knowing what is behind closed doors, and don’t find understanding human behavior entrancing, will find it unrewarding.
Chapter 8:
1. Why does White argue that a deaf mute unable to communicate symbolically is not fully human? What opposing argument might be made? What position would White take in the pro-choice vs. pro-life abortion controversy?
White argues that deaf mute people without the ability to communicate symbolically cannot be considered human because they cannot comprehend the fundamentals that make someone human. White believes that what separates man from other living creatures is our ability to recognize and understand symbols. No animal would be able to comprehend the idea of Holy water, extended familial ties, or the days of the week, except for mankind. When something is unable to recognize these symbols, it cannot be considered a human being. An opposing argument that could be made is that this is an ableist viewpoint that is dehumanizing to people whose disorders affect their very existence. What gives us the authority to decide if someone who is genealogically considered human can be a human or not? With this in mind, it could be reasoned that White would consider someone in a completely vegetative state or possessing a severe learning disability to not be human. But, using logic, one would assume White to be pro-choice rather than pro-life. A fetus has no way of understanding symbols, it has no way of knowing about the world around it. A fetus is simply a ball of cells, some even without brain function, so why should it be considered human? Sure, a fetus has the potential to become a person, but I believe White would argue that because it cannot comprehend symbols, it cannot be considered human, and hence would have no moral disagreement with abortion.
2. Because the reality we experience is based on a particular system of symbols, how do we tend to view members of other cultures? What special efforts are needed to overcome the tendency to treat people of different cultures as less worthy than we are?
As a (flawed) society, we tend to view other cultures as incorrect, seeing as they are different than ours. Many american women tell women wearing hijabs that they should take off their scarf and be proud to show their head to the world, some even go as far as to say that they are demeaning other women by choosing to wear it even though they live in America. These American women don’t understand that women wearing hijabs, despite not being forced to, wear them as a choice, and they do this because it is a part of their culture. Since is not in American culture, Americans find it weird, some even find it unacceptable. As a culture, we tend to view symbols that aren’t our own as something to be feared rather than celebrated. In order to overcome the tendency to treat people of different cultures as less worthy, the people of American need to be educated on cultures that differ from ours. You can’t consider an 80 year old man a bad person for being homophobic if he was brought up thinking, and was taught his whole life, that homosexuality is wrong. You can consider him a bad person once he is educated on current culture, taught the truth about sexuality, and made to understand his wrongdoings, a bad person if he chooses to keep his problematic opinion. By teaching the people of America about other cultures and showing them how to celebrate rather than judge the symbols other people possess, hopefully we will learn to be a more accepting people.
3. How did gaining the capacity to use symbols transform Helen Keller? How did this ability alter her capacity for further learning?
Gaining the capacity to use symbols completely transformed Helen Keller's life for the better. Some would say that her gained ability to communicate and understand things as an able bodied person would regained her the title of “human being.” By being able to understand symbols such as the “the wonderful cool something that was flowing over my hand” as being “W-A-T-E-R,” she was able to alter her capacity for further learning, and ultimately gained the vocabulary of any other person.
Chapter 9:
1. Why, according to Merton, why is the study of latent functions one of the important tasks of sociologists?
According to Merton, the study of latent functions is one of the important tasks of sociologists because latent functions are unfamiliar, unplanned, and overlooked consequences, and are complicated areas of sociology that sociologists have the responsibility to pay attention to. Sociology is all about studying human behavior, and what is a better way to study the behavior of human that the unconscious decisions they make?
2. Distinguish between the manifest and latent functions of owning designer clothing, a fine car, or a large home.
The manifest purpose behind buying goods is the satisfaction of the needs in which the goods fulfil. So, the manifest functions of owning designer clothing, a fine car, and a large home is said to be that they provide a service that people require to live comfortably. Alternatively, the latent function of purchasing these unnecessarly luxurious items is not to provide warmth, transportation, and shelter, but rather to reaffirm social status.
3. According to Thorstein Veblen, whom Merton cites in his analysis, does the high cost of carious goods typically reflect their higher quality?
According to Thorstein Veblen, people buy expensive things not because they are higher quality, but rather because they are expensive. Something is only worth what someone says it is worth. Would someone who is starving to death find higher value in food, or in diamonds? People might think that they are buying something of higher price because they think it is of higher quality (manifest function) but in actuality, they are buying it because they believe that buying something of higher cost makes them a higher class person (latent function.)
4. Identify some of the manifest and latent functions of (a) a primary school spelling bee, (b) sports, and (c) attending college.
a. Spelling Bee:
Manifest Function : Students think that they want to win the spelling bee because doing so would make them smart.
Latent Function : Students want to win the spelling bee because doing so would make them better than the students that did not win.
b. Sports:
Manifest Function : Team members think they want to play on a sports team so that they can exercise and have fun.
Latent Function : Team members want to play on a sports team so that they can beat their competitors in tournaments and prove that they are better athletes.
c. Attending College
Manifest Function : Students think they want to attend the best college they can so that they can get a great education and succeed in life.
Latent Function : Students want to attend a college that is better than their high school peers so that they can prove to be smarter and higher achieving.
Chapter 11:
1. What are the distinguished factors of “class conflict?” How does this differ from other kinds of conflict, as between individuals or nations?
The class war begins with the bourgeois and the proletarians. The bourgeoisie are a social class oriented to materialism and ruling the society beneath them, whereas the proletarians are a modern working class of laborers. The struggle between the bourgeois and the proletarians begins at birth, and of all classes that stand against the bourgeoisie, the proletariat is truly revolutionary. This conflict differs from other kinds of conflict because as compared to other kinds of conflict, such as individuals or nations, this conflict observes inequality within the class system.
2. Why do Marx and Engels argue that understanding society in the present requires investigating the society of the past?
Marx and Engels believe that that everything that exists is natural and all things are supposed to follow the laws of nature, this is the materialist philosophy. Based on this view of reality, Marx developed the idea of historical materialism, and held the idea that all things happen based on cause and effect, meaning, the present is a product of the past. Marx argued that understanding society in the present requires investigating the society of the past because by putting the pieces and events of the past in context, he could better understand the present.
3. On what grounds did Marx and Engels praise industrial capitalism? On what grounds did they condemn the system?
Marx and Engels praised industrial capitalism on the grounds that machinery revolutionized industrial production and modern industry. The market of modern industry established the world market, which allowed for an immense development in navigation, communication, and commerce. The growing of this bountiful and revolutionary market extended the bourgeoisie development in proportion. They condemned the system because it was making the rich more wealthy, and ultimately led to the formation of the “natural superiors” that the bourgeoisie considered themselves.
Chapter 12:
1. Describe the essential features of Gemeinschaft and Gesellschaft in order to clearly distinguish the two organizational types.
Gemeinschaft is based around the rooted, kinship based lifestyle of the past, whereas Gesellschaft is based around a lifestyle in large, anonymous, commercial cities. In short, Gemeinschaft can be described as community while Gesellschaft is society.
2. Why does Tonnies link Gemeinschaft to kinship, neighborhood, and friendship? How is Gesellschaft linked to commerce?
Gemeinschaft is linked to kinship, neighborhood, and friendship because Gemeinschaft can be understood as a living organism, rather than Gesellschaft, which is mechanical and inanimate. Gemeinschaft is based on a common habitat, it implies cooperation and coordinated action. It represents human and supreme form of community, it signifies a common share between human beings. Gesellschaft is linked to commerce because it establishes a relationship of collectively owned land.
3. Based on reading this selection, do you think Tonnies found one type of social organization preferable to the other? If so, which one? Why?
I don’t think Tonnies found one type of social organization preferable to the other because he states that the two are closely related and important in the development of human culture and history. He states that in Gemeinschaft, individuals remain united in spite of all separating factors, whereas in Gesellschaft, they are essentially separated in spite of all united factors.
Chapter 1:
1. Why do people in the US tend to think of the operation of society in personal terms?
People in the US tend to think of the operation of society in personal terms because of the increase of metro areas with elevated, impersonal populations. Because there is higher anonymity and less familiar, mutually beneficial relationships, people think about themselves rather than the operation of society as a machine. It’s almost as if people possess the “every man for himself” mentality. “Troubles occur within the character of the individual and within the range of his immediate relationships with others; they have to do with is self and with those limited areas of life of which he is directly and personally aware.” (pg. 4)
2. What are the practical benefits of the sociological perspective? Are there liabilities?
A practical benefit of the sociological perspective is that it enables understanding of the universally shared issues affecting our society. It allows insight into the behavioral patterns other individuals possess, ones that you can empathize with. A liability to this is the possibility of depersonalization from one's issues. The sociological perspective could allow one to look for a societal solution to a personal problem.
3. What does Mills have in mind in suggesting that by developing the sociological imagination we learn to assemble facts into social analysis?
By suggesting that the development of the sociological imagination we learn to assemble facts into social analysis, Mills is saying that we can analyze and compare the facts of ourselves with facts of society and notice a relationship. By expanding the “sociological imagination,” we can distinguish and connect the personal troubles one may have with the public issues of social structure.
Chapter 2:
1. How can we explain the fact that people within any society tend to take their own way of life for granted?
The reason people tend to take what they have for granted can be explained with the phrase “you don’t know what you have until it’s gone.” People become accustomed to their way of life, it becomes so routine that they can’t imagine living in a different way. It can be hard to see from someone else’s point of view when the baseline privilege that someone experiences could be considered luxurious by another.
2. What does Berger think is the justification for studying sociology?
Berger argues that things are not what they seem, and people who want to study sociology should take everything with a grain of salt. A sociologist must not unquestionably welcome the commonly accepted conceptions of society, and people who “prefer to believe that society is just what they were taught in sunday school” (pg. 7) should be warned.
3. What is involved in “sociological debunking?” How are others likely to respond to sociological insights?
“Sociological debunking” is going deeper than what is commonly accepted to give alternative meaning to conventional ideas. Berger states that there is debunking motif inherent in sociological consciousness, and that a sociologist will be driven to debunk the social systems in place. Others are less likely to respond to sociological insights with such enthusiasm. Those who take the world for granted should stay away from sociology. People who are content with not knowing what is behind closed doors, and don’t find understanding human behavior entrancing, will find it unrewarding.
Chapter 8:
1. Why does White argue that a deaf mute unable to communicate symbolically is not fully human? What opposing argument might be made? What position would White take in the pro-choice vs. pro-life abortion controversy?
White argues that deaf mute people without the ability to communicate symbolically cannot be considered human because they cannot comprehend the fundamentals that make someone human. White believes that what separates man from other living creatures is our ability to recognize and understand symbols. No animal would be able to comprehend the idea of Holy water, extended familial ties, or the days of the week, except for mankind. When something is unable to recognize these symbols, it cannot be considered a human being. An opposing argument that could be made is that this is an ableist viewpoint that is dehumanizing to people whose disorders affect their very existence. What gives us the authority to decide if someone who is genealogically considered human can be a human or not? With this in mind, it could be reasoned that White would consider someone in a completely vegetative state or possessing a severe learning disability to not be human. But, using logic, one would assume White to be pro-choice rather than pro-life. A fetus has no way of understanding symbols, it has no way of knowing about the world around it. A fetus is simply a ball of cells, some even without brain function, so why should it be considered human? Sure, a fetus has the potential to become a person, but I believe White would argue that because it cannot comprehend symbols, it cannot be considered human, and hence would have no moral disagreement with abortion.
2. Because the reality we experience is based on a particular system of symbols, how do we tend to view members of other cultures? What special efforts are needed to overcome the tendency to treat people of different cultures as less worthy than we are?
As a (flawed) society, we tend to view other cultures as incorrect, seeing as they are different than ours. Many american women tell women wearing hijabs that they should take off their scarf and be proud to show their head to the world, some even go as far as to say that they are demeaning other women by choosing to wear it even though they live in America. These American women don’t understand that women wearing hijabs, despite not being forced to, wear them as a choice, and they do this because it is a part of their culture. Since is not in American culture, Americans find it weird, some even find it unacceptable. As a culture, we tend to view symbols that aren’t our own as something to be feared rather than celebrated. In order to overcome the tendency to treat people of different cultures as less worthy, the people of American need to be educated on cultures that differ from ours. You can’t consider an 80 year old man a bad person for being homophobic if he was brought up thinking, and was taught his whole life, that homosexuality is wrong. You can consider him a bad person once he is educated on current culture, taught the truth about sexuality, and made to understand his wrongdoings, a bad person if he chooses to keep his problematic opinion. By teaching the people of America about other cultures and showing them how to celebrate rather than judge the symbols other people possess, hopefully we will learn to be a more accepting people.
3. How did gaining the capacity to use symbols transform Helen Keller? How did this ability alter her capacity for further learning?
Gaining the capacity to use symbols completely transformed Helen Keller's life for the better. Some would say that her gained ability to communicate and understand things as an able bodied person would regained her the title of “human being.” By being able to understand symbols such as the “the wonderful cool something that was flowing over my hand” as being “W-A-T-E-R,” she was able to alter her capacity for further learning, and ultimately gained the vocabulary of any other person.
Chapter 9:
1. Why, according to Merton, why is the study of latent functions one of the important tasks of sociologists?
According to Merton, the study of latent functions is one of the important tasks of sociologists because latent functions are unfamiliar, unplanned, and overlooked consequences, and are complicated areas of sociology that sociologists have the responsibility to pay attention to. Sociology is all about studying human behavior, and what is a better way to study the behavior of human that the unconscious decisions they make?
2. Distinguish between the manifest and latent functions of owning designer clothing, a fine car, or a large home.
The manifest purpose behind buying goods is the satisfaction of the needs in which the goods fulfil. So, the manifest functions of owning designer clothing, a fine car, and a large home is said to be that they provide a service that people require to live comfortably. Alternatively, the latent function of purchasing these unnecessarly luxurious items is not to provide warmth, transportation, and shelter, but rather to reaffirm social status.
3. According to Thorstein Veblen, whom Merton cites in his analysis, does the high cost of carious goods typically reflect their higher quality?
According to Thorstein Veblen, people buy expensive things not because they are higher quality, but rather because they are expensive. Something is only worth what someone says it is worth. Would someone who is starving to death find higher value in food, or in diamonds? People might think that they are buying something of higher price because they think it is of higher quality (manifest function) but in actuality, they are buying it because they believe that buying something of higher cost makes them a higher class person (latent function.)
4. Identify some of the manifest and latent functions of (a) a primary school spelling bee, (b) sports, and (c) attending college.
a. Spelling Bee:
Manifest Function : Students think that they want to win the spelling bee because doing so would make them smart.
Latent Function : Students want to win the spelling bee because doing so would make them better than the students that did not win.
b. Sports:
Manifest Function : Team members think they want to play on a sports team so that they can exercise and have fun.
Latent Function : Team members want to play on a sports team so that they can beat their competitors in tournaments and prove that they are better athletes.
c. Attending College
Manifest Function : Students think they want to attend the best college they can so that they can get a great education and succeed in life.
Latent Function : Students want to attend a college that is better than their high school peers so that they can prove to be smarter and higher achieving.
Chapter 11:
1. What are the distinguished factors of “class conflict?” How does this differ from other kinds of conflict, as between individuals or nations?
The class war begins with the bourgeois and the proletarians. The bourgeoisie are a social class oriented to materialism and ruling the society beneath them, whereas the proletarians are a modern working class of laborers. The struggle between the bourgeois and the proletarians begins at birth, and of all classes that stand against the bourgeoisie, the proletariat is truly revolutionary. This conflict differs from other kinds of conflict because as compared to other kinds of conflict, such as individuals or nations, this conflict observes inequality within the class system.
2. Why do Marx and Engels argue that understanding society in the present requires investigating the society of the past?
Marx and Engels believe that that everything that exists is natural and all things are supposed to follow the laws of nature, this is the materialist philosophy. Based on this view of reality, Marx developed the idea of historical materialism, and held the idea that all things happen based on cause and effect, meaning, the present is a product of the past. Marx argued that understanding society in the present requires investigating the society of the past because by putting the pieces and events of the past in context, he could better understand the present.
3. On what grounds did Marx and Engels praise industrial capitalism? On what grounds did they condemn the system?
Marx and Engels praised industrial capitalism on the grounds that machinery revolutionized industrial production and modern industry. The market of modern industry established the world market, which allowed for an immense development in navigation, communication, and commerce. The growing of this bountiful and revolutionary market extended the bourgeoisie development in proportion. They condemned the system because it was making the rich more wealthy, and ultimately led to the formation of the “natural superiors” that the bourgeoisie considered themselves.
Chapter 12:
1. Describe the essential features of Gemeinschaft and Gesellschaft in order to clearly distinguish the two organizational types.
Gemeinschaft is based around the rooted, kinship based lifestyle of the past, whereas Gesellschaft is based around a lifestyle in large, anonymous, commercial cities. In short, Gemeinschaft can be described as community while Gesellschaft is society.
2. Why does Tonnies link Gemeinschaft to kinship, neighborhood, and friendship? How is Gesellschaft linked to commerce?
Gemeinschaft is linked to kinship, neighborhood, and friendship because Gemeinschaft can be understood as a living organism, rather than Gesellschaft, which is mechanical and inanimate. Gemeinschaft is based on a common habitat, it implies cooperation and coordinated action. It represents human and supreme form of community, it signifies a common share between human beings. Gesellschaft is linked to commerce because it establishes a relationship of collectively owned land.
3. Based on reading this selection, do you think Tonnies found one type of social organization preferable to the other? If so, which one? Why?
I don’t think Tonnies found one type of social organization preferable to the other because he states that the two are closely related and important in the development of human culture and history. He states that in Gemeinschaft, individuals remain united in spite of all separating factors, whereas in Gesellschaft, they are essentially separated in spite of all united factors.