what is sociology?

What is sociology if not the systematic attempt to come to an understanding of modern society? (Wagner 1994). Sociology and modernity are closely intertwined, but it has also been argued that sociology is actually a product of modernity. Which came first, the egg or the chicken? The same sort of puzzled question is proposed in relation to sociology and modernity and the answer is often vague. I shall be exploring this concept within this brief essay.For the purposes of answering this question I will turn to Anthony Giddens (1982) to define sociology....                                                                                 

           "Sociology is concerned with the study of human societies....a society is a cluster, or a system of institutionalised modes of conduct....sociology has as its main focus the study of institutions of the advanced or the industrialised societies and of the conditions of transformation of those institutions". An understanding of modernity is also needed. Modernity is a phase in human history in which it is believed that humans can use scientific knowledge to ensure progress, it is a new experience. To Seidler and many other writers enlightenment thinking is the foundation of modernity. (Haralambous and Holborn 1996)The idea of society is a relatively new concept, in Webers.                                                                                       

           for the first time people began to see society as something, which was important to study, and it can be argued that this was the beginning of sociology, the emergence of modern societies was marked by the birth of a new intellectual and cognitive world. As modernity took form changes in social attitudes within the social sphere occurred making society itself interesting to others. The needs of modern society and how sociologists see people change with time. The removal of traditional restraints and the emergence of governments which guaranteed the rights of individuals were therefore seen as progressive developments. In the past sociology was not required as society had been static, perhaps people have become more interesting or society has become very technological making interactions vary. Sociologists tend to study modern issues for example health, Parsons and the sick role, single parent families and other modern day issues. Now society is full of strangers causing new and interesting interactions between people, in the past relationships in the static society were similar and perhaps uneventful. 

               Individuals are naturally rational and should be able to be free to pursue their own interests. Human beings are naturally communal and their interests can therefore only be met collectively (Taylor et al 1997). There is now widespread agreement over the major features of modernity. The eighteenth century enlightenment period previously had not only created an environment in which a new science could be developed due to the value of progress being advertised, but also religious discourses as a means of explaining the natural world were replaced by science

             The whole set up of society now requires ruling institutions to seek information and perhaps be studied themselves. There is a huge change in crime since preindustrial society, for example the discipline of criminology is a direct result of crime in the modern world, as pre modern day there was little deviance as individuals all knew one another. The emergence of coffee houses, clubs and saloons were now a place for discussion where everyone was equal and would be listened to, where such conversations may have previously been only open to religious scholars and philosophers were now open to the public. It has been argued by Marx that the beginning of market towns saw the major step towards an intellectual society and citizens became more civilized but at the same time dependent upon one another.              

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