Comparison Of Auguste Comte And Jane Addams

Social science is the scientific study of society and social interactions. Social science is a broad subject with several branches including: sociology, psychology, anthropology, political science, history and economics. Sociology is a field of social science that is concerned with studying social behavior and social structure. Sociology deals with diverse matters, varying from crime, education, family, government, race and economic status on personal, organizational, and international levels. (M, 2011)

While sociology is the study of society in terms of social relationships or behaviors, other social sciences deal with other aspects of society, as they relate to their field, for instance: economics studies the economic aspects of society,

A theory is a set of ideas or principles developed to explain facts or occurrences. Two sociological theorists from the nineteenth century were Auguste Comte and Jane Addams. Auguste Comte created the word sociology and is often called “the father of sociology.” He believed that the study of society should be based on scientific research and analyses and not on religion or perception. He split the study of society into two categories: social statics examine the ways social structures interact with one another, and the relationships between these social structures, social dynamics investigates the change in people and society over time. (Benokraitis, 2015, p. 8) Jane Addams was an activist, social worker, sociologist, author, and leader in the women's suffrage movement. She co-founded one of the first settlement houses in Chicago, named the Hull House. Addams was the first American woman to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1931. Although she was ignored and discriminated against by many of her colleagues, she continued to publish articles and books that discussed the problems social inequality and social problems. (Benokraitis, 2015, pp.

Many theories today develop from the theories that came before them. Karl Marx, for instance, predicted economic disparity would produce conflict and the conflict theory argues that society is in a position of continuous conflict due to a struggle for limited resources. It says that social organization is kept by influence and power, not agreement and order. The conflict theory believes that those with control and wealth will use any means to necessary to keep it, primarily by dominating the minorities and the poor. (Benokraitis, 2015, p. 15) An example of the conflict theory in America today would be the financial crisis of 2008 that led to bank bailouts by the government. Conflict theorists would view this as, the government (power and money) coming to the rescue of large banks (with power and money) using millions of dollars of tax-payer’s money. At the same time, the same government is eliminating or cutting the budget for important programs that could use tax payer’s dollars to support the low-income and disadvantaged populations. The conflict theory could also be applied to explain the feelings of certain people about immigration in the United States. Many Americans are out of jobs or looking for work, and some believe that the problem is caused by immigrants coming to the country and “taking “all the jobs that should be going to citizens. They think that jobs are going to immigrants because