STUDY GUIDE FOR EXAMINATION #1
SOC. 400, Foundations of Sociological Thought
SUNY College at Buffalo
Dr. ZHANG Jie, Ph.D.

Sociological Theory

• Definition of theory: evidence; generalization; prediction
• Levels of propositions: fact; empirical generalization; theoretical generalization
• Methods of relating propositions: induction vs. deduction

Social philosophy

• Socrates: rationalism
• Aurelius: stoicism
• Epicurus: hedonism
• Machiavelli: pragmatism

Auguste Comte

• Positivistic philosophy: natural sciences, social sciences, social physics (sociology)
• Hierarch of sciences
• Statics vs dynamics
• Law of three stages: religious, metaphysical, scientific
• Secularization
• The Course of Positivistic Philosophy

Herbert Spencer

• Synthetic philosophy: combination of social and natural sciences
• Social evolution: social Darwinism; survival of the fittest (cf. natural selection); laissez-faire; natural forces; gradual and progressive
• The course of evolution:

comparison of Comte, Marx, Durkheim, and Spencer
unilineal vs multilineal
skipping stages
retrogression
value issue
teleology

• Sources of Spencerianism: Malthus; Von Baer; Darwin
• Social institutions: familial, ceremonial, political, religious, and economic

• Social Darwinism:

Lester Ward: genesis vs. telesis; sociocracy

Karl Marx

• Philosophical resources of Marxism: Hegel and Feuerbach

Hegel: dialectic idealism
Feuerbach: metaphysical materialism

• Marxism: dialectic materialism; monism

dialectic: thesis, antithesis, synthesis
materialism: economic determinism, structuralism, superstructure and economic foundation

• Five stages in social evolution (historical materialism):

primitive (classless)
slavery (slave owner vs. slaves)
feudal (landlord vs. peasants)
capitalist (bourgeoisie vs. proletariat)
communist (classless)

• Conflict theory:

economy, private ownership, class, proletariat and bourgeoisie, conflict, change, violence, revolution

• Economic determinism (structuralism):

status and value; superstructure vs. substructure; macro (social) vs. micro (psychological)

• Marx on religion
• Marxist political economy:

labor theory of value, surplus value, iron law of wages

• Preconditions for revolution (Marxist theory of revolution)*
• Socialism and communism:

proletarian revolution
dictatorship of proletariat
eradication of private ownership
anarchy
withering away of state
extreme abundance of needs

Note:

* Potential listing questions