Decide which classical theorist impresses you the most and which theorist impresses you the least. Write a detailed essay in which you explain: Each theorist’s basic assumptions, concepts, and principles The reasons for your choices Your reasons should be based on your critical analysis of how well each theory advances our understanding of the social world
Classical Theorist
Karl Marx is one of the ancient theorists known to have developed a view of how society works. Marx conceived that of the communities a system that producing a massive amount of commodities by taking in extensive resources but in the process producing enormous pollution. In his conception, the factory owners are also the rulers of the world and are always in the activity of making profits (Barnwell 2018). However, this resource comes from exploiting both natural resources and workers. He also thought that the large landowner, railroad baron and shipping magnets took the natural resources from the rural areas and thus forced the people in the regions to the cities where they fed the factories. In essence, he looked at the society as a system that only benefited a small group of the rich and left the poor to be enslaved to the rich (Barnwell 2018). His view proposes that society is capitalist’s nation where the people in the urban areas become separated from the natural world.
The other classical theorist is Weber. He presented an idea called the Iron cage. His view is that the technological and economic relationship that emerged from capitalism is the founding forces of society. Thus one is born into this structure, and they have to leave by the hierarchical structure (Barnwell 2018). Since one is shaped by the system they cannot imagine that they can live in a society that is contrary to this view. Although he presents a good view of society, he is one of the classical theorists that I do not support.
One of the principles that Max envisaged and has come to be accepted by some of the bourgeois is that capitalism contains in itself the seed of its destruction. Karl Marx thought that it is a chaotic and anarchic system that has several periods of crisis that throw people out of work and results in political and social instability (Barnwell 2018). From the history of the world, it is quite clear that the view of Karl Max has become real. In the recent 2008 economic meltdown, the harmful and destructive effects of capitalism were felt (O’Brien 2017). The entire world is faced with both social and political instability that was orchestrated by the economic ideas that had been controlling the world. Therefore, I support and agree with the views that Karl Max proposed. Those that had the belief the classical theorist were wrong had for once come to experience the reality.
The reason that I support the theory presented by Karl Marx is the fact the crisis that the world is in currently should not happen. Until the recent time, most bourgeois economists argued that the market, if left by itself, was capable of solving all the problems and thus in a magical way, balance out the supply and demand. In this way, the market could be able to overcome the repetition of the crash that occurred in 1929 and the great depression (Barnwell 2018). These theorists had argued that the Marx idea of the challenge of overproduction was never going to happen (Furseth & Repstad, 2017). The individuals that were following Marx idea that the capitalist system had the seed of its destruction were looked upon. However, the cases of 2008 changed the well, and now economists have started to take the ideas of Karl Max severe. It emerged that capitalism is not eventually the best system.
References
Barnwell, A. (2018). Durkheim as affect theorist. Journal of Classical Sociology, 18(1), 21-35.
Furseth, I., & Repstad, P. (2017). An introduction to the sociology of religion: Classical and contemporary perspectives. Routledge.
O’Brien, D. P. (2017). The classical economists revisited. Princeton University Press.
