Question.869 - Emile Durkheim believed that religion promotes social cohesion, social control, and prevents individuals from experiencing anomie. However, he also believed that religious belief was in decline and might even disappear, in which society would need new institutions to promote social cohesion. What other, non-religious institutions, organizations, or other social phenomena can you think of that might play the same function that Durkheim ascribed to religion? Choose and describe at least two, and explain how they play this important function in society. German sociologist and political economist Max Weber (1864–1920), in his seminal work, The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism, believed religion to be a precipitator of social change. Critique his approach and argue against his view point to show that changes in religious ideals did not create capitalism.
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Laureen CollazoWeek 7-Discussion 1 Emile Durkheim believed that religion promotes social cohesion, social control, and prevents individuals from experiencing anomie. However, he also believed that religious belief was in decline and might even disappear, in which society would need new institutions to promote social cohesion. What other, non-religious institutions, organizations, or other social phenomena can you think of that might play the same function that Durkheim ascribed to religion? Choose and describe at least two, and explain how they play this important function in society. Emile Durkheim believed that religion was an essential component of social cohesion and played a critical role in shaping society by providing a shared sense of identity, norms, values, and beliefs. Durkheim also believed that the decline of religious belief in modern society could lead to anomie or a lack of norms, which could threaten social order. There are various non-religious institutions, organizations, and other social phenomena that can cater to the development of society and establish necessary norms. One example of a non-religious institution that can play a role in promoting social cohesion is the educational system. Schools and universities provide a shared experience and socialization process that helps shape individual identities and collective norms and values. Aside from promoting social solidarity, education plays a significant role in the transmission of knowledge, skills, and cultural capital, which contributes to the reproduction of social structures (Inglehart, 1997). Another example of a non-religious institution that can promote social cohesion is the political system. Political systems promote social control through the establishment of laws and regulations. Politics provides a framework for public debate and plays a crucial role in shaping collective identity, values, norms, creating a shared sense of purpose and goals. Politics thus provides a shared mechanism that ensures the participation and representation of diverse groups within society. While religion may have played a significant role in shaping society in the past, modern societies require a diversity of institutions and organizations to promote social cohesion and protect social welfare (Eisenstadt, 2000). 2. German sociologist and political economist Max Weber (1864–1920), in his seminal work, The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism, believed religion to be a precipitator of social change. Critique his approach and argue against his view point to show that changes in religious ideals did not create capitalism. Max Weber's argument in The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism has been criticized and challenged, particularly the idea that religion was the driving force behind the development of capitalism. Instead, scholars have argued that capitalism arose as a result of technological advancements, changing economic systems, and political transformations. One point of criticism in Weber's approach is that it overlooks the role of pre-existing economic systems in the emergence of capitalism. Capitalism did not emerge from a vacuum, but rather it evolved from pre-existing economic systems that provided the foundation for the accumulation of capital (Thompson, 1963). This is supported by the fact that there were significant commercial and economic activities in medieval Europe that provided the conditions for the emergence of modern capitalism (Braudel, 1982). These observations point to the fact that religion was not a major driver of social changes like capitalism. Another point in Weber's approach is that it is Eurocentric and does not consider the global perspective of capitalism. The emergence of modern capitalism was not solely the result of the conditions of Western Europe, but rather a global process that involved the exchange of goods, knowledge, and technology across different parts of the world (Pomeranz, 2000). Capitalism did not emerge as a result of a singular event or factor, but rather it was the result of a historical process of expansion and integration involving economic, political, and cultural transformations (Wallerstein, 2004). Thus, it can be argued that while religion may have played a role in shaping the cultural and moral foundations of capitalism, it was not the driving force behind its emergence. Reference: Braudel, F. (1982). The Wheels of Commerce: Civilization and Capitalism, 15th-18th Century. Harper & Row.Eisenstadt, S. N. (2000). Multiple modernities. Daedalus, 129(1), 1-29. Inglehart, R. (1997). Modernization and postmodernization: Cultural, economic, and political change in 43 societies. Princeton University Press.Pomeranz, K. (2000). The Great Divergence: China, Europe, and the Making of the Modern World Economy. Princeton University Press.Thompson, E.P. (1963). The Moral Economy of the English Crowd in the Eighteenth Century. Past & Present, 50(1), 76-136. Wallerstein, I. (2004). World-Systems Analysis: An Introduction. Duke University Press.More Articles From Sociology
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