Karl Jaspers

This excerpt from Marx and Engels’ Economic and Philosophic Manuscripts centres around the concept of the inherent estrangement between the producer and the product. This dichotomy of opposites is frequently reinforced in the text, through the idea of what the two parts of society, (in simple terms, the rich and the poor), receive in reward for the work of the worker. The language of “wonderful” and “privation,” “palaces” and “hovels”, “beauty” and “deformity,” makes clear, through the use of…

One of the most celebrated men of the 20th century is Nelson Mandela, the man who helped free South Africa from Apartheid rule. But however inhumane, disgusting and barbaric Apartheid rule was, it contributed to the growth of the South African economy and created tremendous amount of wealth for the white South African minority. A significant amount of this wealth was generated from South Africa’s vast gold mines that were all owned by whites. To make these mining houses practical and lucrative…

In an attempt to better explain social stratification, Kingsley Davis and Wilbert Moore proposed a theory. The Davis-Moore thesis is about social stratification which the textbook defines as “a system by which a society ranks categories of people in a hierarchy” (Macionis, 2017, p. 215). This thesis states the importance of social stratification, even suggesting that it has valuable significance regarding how society functions. A key element of the Davis-Moore thesis is work positions. Many…

To reiterate, Durkheim believed that through the division of labor, solidarity arises within a society. Therefore, Durkheim argues that there are two types of solidarity which are mechanical and organic solidarity. According to Durkheim, mechanical solidarity is based on likeness. These societies are characterized by likeness, in which the people of society share similarities. For instance, Durkheim said that in early society, men and women were similar. They had similarities. Since during this…

Anderson’s Two Codes According to Henslin, sociology is the scientific study of society and human behavior. According to Doctor Heck, sociology is the scientific study of human social behavior; studies processes and patterns of individual and group interaction. Elijah Anderson, a leading sociologist in urban ethnography, is the author of the Code of the Street. Code of the Street is a book about the reason behind violence in inner-city black America and the code that regulates it. He starts by…

From many years of sociological research, collecting quantitative and qualitative data, three sociological theories have stood the test of time. These dominant theories are, the Structural-Functional Approach, the Social-Conflict Approach and the Symbolic-Interaction Approach. “Each sociological theory presented has a unique way of explaining social behaviour in the real world”. (Thiessen, 2017) These theories have all been developed by good sociologists; sociologists who remain objective and…

Karl Marx is the founder of the Marxist movement, an ideology that is directly opposed to capitalism. Marx believed that capitalism is all about economics, people are only interested in maximising profits for their own personal gain and competing against similar businesses. Marx argues that in capitalism, the only goal is money. He states that capitalism is all about economics and that if a capitalist does not only focus on the potential amount of money that he could make, then it is likely that…

Throughout ‘An Inspector Calls’ written by J.B Priestley in 1945, the author presents two significant and upper class characters who are extremely guilty of abusing their power in society: Sheila Birling and Mr Birling. Priestley clearly highlights the fact that abuse of power is highly common within the upper class, due to the fact that they let their status and wealth control their lives. Consequently, the author portrays the Birling family as capitalists who only prioritise their wealth and…

The Upper Class vs. The Lower Class: A Marxist Reading of Comus In 1848, Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels published The Communist Manifesto, which stems from Marxist ideas. John Milton published A Masque Presented at Ludlow Castle, 1634 [Comus], in 1637; a mere 3 years after its first performance for the Earl of Bridgewater. Over 200 years pass after Milton’s publication of this court masque, until the emergence of Communism as a political platform. Although Marxism was invented several decades…

The New Temple Do humans idolize tangible objects? It is safe to say that no one in today’s society thinks of themselves as materialistic person. The shocking reality is that everyone in Capitalist societies idolizes material things; unconsciously material possessions have become the god that consumers idolize. Corporations are responsible for this because they offer tangible objects that appear to be essential to obtain happiness and fulfillment. Shopping Centers have become the new temple…