Philosophy Paper - Sociologists Durkheim and Weber

Sociological Perspectives

Midterm #2

Answer both questions. Each answer should be 3 to 5 typed double-spaced pages (12 point font). Use parenthetical citation in the text to indicate sources used and relevant page numbers, and include a bibliography at the end.

1. Max Weber and Emile Durkheim both see a relationship between the spread of Protestant belief systems in the West and central tendencies in the shift from traditional to modern society. Compare Weber’s theory of the Protestant ethic and the development of capitalism with Durkheim’s analysis of the relationship between Protestantism and increased rates of suicide. What do these arguments reveal about the central features of modernity for each theorist?

1. Weber and Durkheim both perceive a progressive weakening of religious authority in the modern West. Compare and contrast Weber’s theories of the “disenchantment of the world” and the “iron cage” of rationality with Durkheim’s arguments concerning the shift from mechanical to organic solidarity. What features of the modern world serve to undermine religious worldviews and affiliation? Is meaning and/or moral order possible in the absence of religious regulation?