Marx Vs Durkheim Essay

Sociology provides a framework through which people can understand the social world. The many sociologists who contributed to sociological discourse provided different perspectives on how to understand the social world, each with their own advantages and disadvantages. Marx and Durkheim were two sociological thinkers who contributed to the early foundations of sociology, providing views that evaluate past and modern society, and provide ideals on the future development of society. Their ideas can be compared and contrasted in many different ways, as they both had similar, yet different, thoughts on society. Both Marx and Durkheim provide criticisms and evaluations of modern society that highlight the consequences and effects of modernity, exploring

For example, Marx posited that class conflict arose from the interactions of people that resulted in unequal distributions of power. In his writings, Marx states, “Society as a whole is more and more splitting up into two great hostile camps, into two great classes directly facing each other: Bourgeoisie and Proletariat” (Marx, in Calhoun, p. 97). He believed that the division of people due to differences in class and power would lead to conflict in society, which would result in chaos. Similarly, Durkheim believed that dividing people from one another would cause chaos, but he believed that this was due to the effects of modernity, rather than changes in power relations. Durkheim writes, “…if the division of labour does not produce solidarity it is because the relationships between the organs are not regulated; it is because they are in a state of anomie” (Durkheim, in Calhoun, p. 177). Durkheim believed that a lack of solidarity resulting from the division of labor, would result in a state where society could break down. In both cases, either due to differences in power or from a lack of solidarity, conflict arises, resulting in the division of people in the social