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GEOGRAFI MANUSIA
SOCIOLOGY THEORY
By
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DECEMBER 2014
CONTENTS
4.0 CONCLUSION
REFERENCES
A difference between sociological theories and those found in other scientific disciplines
stems from the nature of their respective subjects. Societies are always in the process of
change, while the changes themselves can be spurred by any number of causes, including
internal conflicts, wars with other countries, scientific or technological advances, or through
the expansion of economic markets that in turn spreads foreign cultures and goods. As a
result, it is more difficult to fashion universal laws to explain societal dynamics. Moreover,
we must also bear in mind that humans, unlike most other animals or naturally occurring
elements in the physical world, are motivated to act by a complex array of social and
psychological forces.
topics. Among others, this evaluation concept has been applied for evaluating environmental
communication programmes in the Federal Republic of Germany (Stockmann et al. 2001;
Meyer 2002a, b).
These two aspects of sociological theory are responsible, in part, for the form in which
much sociological theory is written. While some theorists construct formal propositions or
laws to explain and predict social events and individual actions, more often theories are
developed through story like narratives. Thus, few of the original readings included in this
volume contain explicitly stated propositions. One of the intellectual challenges you will face
in studying the selections is to uncover the general propositions that are embedded in the
texts.
2.0 THE EVALUATION AND DEVELOPMENT OF SOCIAL THEORY CONCEPT
Theory-driven evaluations (Chen & Rossi 1980) have two main advantages: on one
hand, theories guide the evaluation process by telling evaluators which questions should be
asked, which causal linkages should be identified, and how the findings can be ordered and
classified. On the other hand, evaluation results help social scientists to clear cut common
research questions, to test thesis logically derived from basic theories, and to verify general
formulated classification systems for its usability. Stockmans evaluation concept, as
mentioned before, is based on three interrelated theoretical models. These models are widely
recognised and acknowledged not only in sociology but also in various other disciplines of
social sciences and its theoretical assumptions are proved by an impressive amount of
empirical research.
The evaluation framework presented here is steady in its basic elements, but always
changing in its specific details not only because of the need for adaptation to a broad range of
evaluation topics. Comte believed that the new scientific industrial society will become the
society of all mankind. The positive or scientific stage is the ultimate stage in a series of
successive transformations the human race goes through and each stage is superior to the
previous one. The new system is built upon the destruction of the old, and with evolution
comes progress and the emancipation of the human mind. Thus, Comte theory of progress
often referred to as the un-linear theory of evolution involved development of the individual
mind, the human mind and the human society in an ultimate state of positivism. Comte stated
that human history is the history of a simple people because the progress of the human mind
gives unity to the entire history of society.
Comte developed social physics, or what in 1822 he called sociology, to combat the
negative philosophies which in his view pervaded French society. The use of the term social
physics made it clear that Comte sought to model sociology after the hard sciences. This new
science (sociology) in Comte view would ultimately become the dominant science. The new
science of society (sociology) was concerned with both social statics and social dynamics.
Both involved the search for laws of social life, Comte felt that social dynamics was more
important than social statics.
3.1 Theological Stage: This stage is characterized by the fact that feeling and imagination
dominate in mans search for the nature, causes and end of things. Explanations take the form
of myths concerning spirits and supernatural beings. In this stage, Comte discussed three
3.2 Metaphysical Stage: In this stage men pursue meaning and explanation of the world in
terms of essences, ideals, forms in short, in conceptions of some ultimate reality. The
institutional changes correlated with this stage of thought are chiefly. The development of
defensive militarism and the extension of established law which lays down a move secure
basis for cooperation. This stage is dominated by the military, churchmen and lawyer, a stage
in which mind presupposes abstract forces.
3.3 Scientific Stage: The nineteenth century marked the beginning of the positive stage in
which observation predominates over imagination and all theoretical concepts become
positive. This stage is dominated by industrial administrators and scientists. The nature of
human mind has given up the vain search for Absolute notions and origins but seeks to
establish scientific principles governing phenomena.
Corresponding to the three stages of mental progress there are three stages of society.
The theological and metaphysical stages are dominated by military values; however, the
former is characterized by conquest and the latter by Defence. The former is characterized by
the predominance of theological thinking and military activity.
Priests were endowed with intellectual and spiritual power while the military
exercised temporal authority. In the scientific industrial society, priest was replaced by
scientists who represent the new moral and intellectual power. With the growth of scientific
thinking, the industrialists dominated the major activities of society.
4.0 CONCLUSION
In summary, the life-course of a project can be roughly divided into three primary
phases: in donor-supported planning and implementation phases during the period of
assistance, and lastly in the period following completion of donor, when the project is
continued under the exclusive direction of the implementation agency.
The problem for the new social sciences which began to emerge in the early to midnineteenth century was therefore to propose a proper object of study and a means of studying
this which was not based on ideas about human nature
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