Classical sociologists such as, Adam Smith, Karl Marx, Friedrich Engels, and Max Weber describe economic interests as one of the motivations for social action. Adam Smith argues that economic interest is the only purpose for social action and through this societies prosper. Marx and Engels on the other hand believe that social action driven by economic interest is imposed onto society by institutions. Finally, Weber argues that history’s contingent development has caused an era where economic interest is the driving force for human social actions. The founding father of economics, Adam Smith, argues that humans innately partake in activities that will increase their personal wealth and this action is facilitated through free markets. In his work, The
…show more content…
Marx explains that eventually the working class will revolt against their oppressors, and commence a revolution leading to a new stage in history. Marx calls this new stage Communism, a historic epoch where society will live prosperously with one another. Unfortunately, this epoch has not happened, instead society continues living through an economic perspective. For example, during the early 20th century Fordism, a term coined for Ford Motor Company’s combination of mass manufacturing and mass consumption, promoted social actions driven by economic interest in American society. Just like division of labor, Fordism created greater wealth, yet unlike it’s counterpart Fordism did not produce inequalities among classes. Under Fordism people had enough money for their daily expenses and reinvest their savings back into the economy in order of obtaining luxuries because the wealth that was produced as a society was equally payed back to the workers. Fordism is a perfect example of how a society can be driven through sole economic interest if the wealth being produced is shared evenly among
Marx explains that eventually the working class will revolt against their oppressors, and commence a revolution leading to a new stage in history. Marx calls this new stage Communism, a historic epoch where society will live prosperously with one another. Unfortunately, this epoch has not happened, instead society continues living through an economic perspective. For example, during the early 20th century Fordism, a term coined for Ford Motor Company’s combination of mass manufacturing and mass consumption, promoted social actions driven by economic interest in American society. Just like division of labor, Fordism created greater wealth, yet unlike it’s counterpart Fordism did not produce inequalities among classes. Under Fordism people had enough money for their daily expenses and reinvest their savings back into the economy in order of obtaining luxuries because the wealth that was produced as a society was equally payed back to the workers. Fordism is a perfect example of how a society can be driven through sole economic interest if the wealth being produced is shared evenly among