Compare Marx's theory of social class and political power with ...

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Compare Marx's theory of social class and political power with Weber's theory.
 
  What will be an ideal response?

Question 2

Compare Comte's emphasis on positivism with Durkheim's focus on social facts.
 
  What will be an ideal response?

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Answer to Question 1

Feedback: Marx believed that economic structure shaped society; he was concerned with the divide between rich and poor, owners and workers. Marx believed that false consiousness (where workers believe in ideas that support capitalist owners more than themselves) should be replaced with class consciousness (where workers recognize what is in their own interest, that they are oppressed, and who is oppressing them) in order to bring about social change. Weber thought Marx's ideas were too narrow, and that political and cultural forces were also at work in shaping society. He argued that the charisma of individual leaders affected political power, as well as belief systems such as the Protestant work ethic.

Answer to Question 2

Feedback: Compte, the founder of sociology, believed that by using scientific principles of systematic observation, experiment, and comparison (i.e., positivism), sociologists could solve social problems such as poverty, crime, and war. Durkheim focused on social facts (i.e., social factors that exist external to individuals such as tradition, values, laws, religious ideology, and population density) and how they affect people's behavior. He was also interested in social integration (i.e., belief systems that bind people together).

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