Sociology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 16

Sociology - Essay Example Karl Marx was an infamous theorist whose â€Å"Alienation† theory describes society as a whole striving to perfect the world and at its peak of success with abundant resources; it fails to do so because it is flawed through individual isolation (Kivisto 3). Humans cannot conquer nature or practice self-control when it comes to the exploitation of resources. Even the heavy operation of an object alienates a man. Marx explains: For it is clear on this presupposition that the more the worker expends himself in work the more powerful becomes the world of objects which he creates in face of himself, the poorer he becomes in his inner life, and the less he belongs to himself. (Wendling 13) Although, mankind has the ability to feed every one and counter hunger, people continue to starve. Marx says this is due to the fact that when a man alienates himself from other men, he in-turn alienates himself from human life (Wendling 17). Marx believes that a man does not belong to himself when he is performing an act that constitutes as cultural practice because it is society that is placing its social imprint on him. For example, â€Å"The worker puts his life into the object, and his life then belongs no longer to himself, but to the object† (Wendling 13). A man, therefore, belongs to the object. This is society affecting the self. Durkheim’s theory of â€Å"Social Fact† does not stray far from Marx’s idea. That is because he divides social facts into two categories: material and nonmaterial. The material aspect corresponds with Marx’s description of an object and how it influences an individual’s social behavior. Where Marx says this is what alienates a man, Durkheim describes it as the drive behind what society cherishes or assigns purpose to communally (Kivisto 16). If the social facts are revealed, it can help scientists and sociologists examine the causes and effects of behaviors and laws among mankind. For instance, Durkheim studied suicide rates