DEMO
TOPIC-01- SOCIOLOGY AS A DISCIPLINE
Modernity and social changes in Europe and emergence of sociology.
Summary of Notes for this topic:
• Modernity from the Latin word ‘modos’ –‘ thinking new’ , different.
o It is not fixed but is context specific, different from traditional
• Europe underwent many changes and emergence of sociology can be traced back to that
period of history
• Different phases : periods of history Dark ages (1st-12th century) Renaissance (14th-17th
century) or scientific and cultural modernity political modernity (French revolution)
economic modernity (Industrial Revolution)
• Change agents- the oppressive feudal setup, excesses of church and nobility led to coming
forward of certain change agents in the form of philosophers, scientists, reformers et cetera
o Scholars – Dante-Divine Comedy, Erasmus-In the praise of Folly, Montaigne-Essais-
what do I know, Thomas Moore- Utopia
o Scientists- from geocentricism to heliocentricism
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Francis Bacon: Father of empiricism
o Religious Reformers: Martin Luther- German monk and Calvin-French theologist
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Protestantism –
• only one scripture,
• justification through faith
• universal priesthood of believers
o Political philosophers:
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Machiavelli- Italian patriot who claimed to have found panacea for all ills in
an all powerful, centralised monarch which he detailed about in Prince.
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Thomas Hobbes: envisioned rational, controlled state as a natural outcome
of evolutionary nature of society.
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John Locke: Saw right mix of selfishness and selflessness and collective
part 2 will be Tomorrow
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