Sociology is the youngest social science in the compare of other social sciences. It is gradually develop and still it has made remarkable progress. In modern times, there is a growing realisation of the scientific study of social phenomena and the means of promoting what Prof. Giddings calls human adequacy ( human welfare ). The study of sociology has a great value especially in modern complex society and some uses of sociology are as follows :-
Sociology studies society in a scientific way. The scientific knowledge about human society is needed in order to achieve progress in various field.
Sociology improves our understanding of society and increases the power of social action. Knowledge of society, social groups, social institutions, etc. helps us to lead an effective social life.
Sociology throws more light on the social nature of man. Sociology delves deep into the social nature of man. It examines the relationship between individual and society, the impact of society on man and other matters.
The study of sociology helps us to know not only our society and men but also others, their motives, aspirations, status, occupations, traditions, customs, institutions, culture, etc. In a huge industrialized society are experiences.
The contribution of sociology is not less significant in enriching culture. Sociology has given training to us to have rational approach to questions concerning ourselves, our religion customs, mores, institutions, values, ideologies, etc. It has made us to become more objective, critical and dispassionate.
Another aspect of the practical side of sociology is the study of great social institutions and the relations of individuals of each one of them. The home and family, marriage and family school and education, religion and morality, etc. are some of the main institution, through which society functions.
Sociology is useful as a teaching subject too. Sociology is a profession in which technical competence brings its own rewards. Sociologists, especially those trained in research procedure are in increasing demand in business, government industry, communications, social welfare, etc. and many other areas of community life.
The need for the study of sociology is greater especially in underdeveloped countries. Sociologists have now drawn the attention of economists regarding the social factors that have contributed to the economic backwardness of a few countries. Economists have now realised the importance of sociological knowledge in analysing the economic affairs of a country.
The study of society is a paramount importance in solving social problems. The present world is best with several social problems of great magnitude like poverty, beggary, unemployment, prostitution, over-population, racial-problems, crime, alcoholism, untouchable, etc. A careful analysis of these problems is necessary in order to solve them.
Sociological knowledge is necessary for understanding and planning of society. Social planning has been made easier by sociology. Sociology is often considered a vehicle of social reform and social reorganization. It plays an important role in the reconstruction of society.
The practical utility of sociological techniques. The techniques developed by the sociologists and other social scientists are adopted by others. Social survey was developed and used mainly by sociologists and statisticious, it has become an essential tool of market research and political polling. Sociologists provide a great deal of information that is helpful in making decisions on social policy.
Study of society has helped several governments to promote the welfare of the tribal people. Not only the civilized societies, but even the tribal societies are faced with several socio-economic and cultural problems. Efforts are now being made to treat the tribal no par with the rest of the civilized people.
Sociology of great practical help in the sense, it keeps us up-to-date on modern social situations and developments. Sociology has been greatly responsible in changing our attitudes towards fellow human beings. It has helped people to catholic in out look and broadminded in spirit. It has minimized the mental distance and reduced the gap between different peoples and communities.
Finally as Prof. Giddings has pointed out " Sociology tells us how to become what we want to be".
Thus, sociology was used in the different fields of sociologists in the development task of society and for the welfare of the society. Sociology is as important as to form a good society, community, and a whole world.
Sociology is fast growing and popular discipline. Sociologists are at work to bring into its range of study almost all aspects of man's social life. Sociology has a tendency to break down into an endless list of specialties. Thus it has several specialized areas of inquiry each of which may employ its own approach and techniques. So that sociology have its sub-divisions or branches and they are as follows:-
Historical Sociology :- Historical is the one of the branches of sociology. In a sense that all sociological research is historical for the sociologists normally go into the records pertaining to the events that have happened or have been observed. ' Social history is history which deals with human relations, social patterns, mores and customs and important institutions other than monarchy and army'.
Sociology of Knowledge :- Sociology of knowledge is also the branches of sociology. This branch is pre-supposes the idea " that our knowledge is in some measure a social product". In the book "New Science" (1725) Vice tried to show how heroic literature constituted the thought mode of a specific kind of society. " According to Marx and Engles, all knowledge has been distorted, directed and conditioned by the intrested conscious and unconscious, of conflicting exploited and exploiting classes".
Political Sociology :- In the time of Aristotle the thinkers have been making systematic study of concrete political phenomena. They have been observing how political phenomena influences and get influences by the rest of the social structure and culture. As Semelser N.J. says , " Political sociology can be defined as the study of the interrelationship between society and polity, between social structures and political institutions".
Social or Human Ecology :- Ecology is a branch of biology and has largely concerned with the environment of the lower animals and plants. It refers to the influence of the environment upon human ecology. A community, from the ecological point of view, includes a focal area plus the surrounding territory . Its size is determined by the extent of its economic and social influence. This ecological conception is used by the sociologists in their study of the community.
Rural Sociology :- Rural sociology is a specialised field of sociology. It deals with the society of village or rural society. It is a systematic and scientific study of rural society. " Rural sociology is the sociology of rural life in rural environment" by Sanderson. " Rural sociology is that study human relationships in rural environment" by Bertand. It provides us that knowledge about the rural social phenomena which can help us in making contribution to the development of rural society.
Military of Sociology
Folk Sociology
Urban Sociology
Sociology of Arts
Sociology of Sexual behaviour
Sociology of Culture
Sociology of Action
Industrial Sociology
Economic Sociology or The Sociology of Economic Life
Sociology of Mass Society
Sociology of Methodology
Sociology of Social Structure
Sociology of Theory
Sociology of Psychology, etc
Thus, sociology have many branches on the study of the society. Sociology has already made intensive studies in fields like social stratification, mass media of communication, public opinion and bureaucracy. The horizons of sociology are expanding gradually. Its scope is becoming wider to encompass all the realms of man's social life.
As science have their own areas of study or fields of inquiry thus sociology also have its own area or field to study. As V.F. Calberton comments, "Since sociology is so elastic science, it is difficult to determine just where its boundaries begin and end, where sociology becomes social psychology and where social psychology becomes sociology, or where economic theory becomes sociological doctrine or biological theory becomes sociological theory something, which is impossible to decide".
There are two types of scope or as the school of thoughts and they are as follows:-
Specialistic or Formalistic School of Thought
Synthetic School of Thoughts
The formalistic school of thoughts is the subject matter of sociology consist of forms of social relationships. These sociologists want to keep the scope of sociology as pure and independent. Sociology studies in such relation with other sciences as is analogus to the relation holding between the physical sciences and geometry. Sociology is a specific social science which describes, classifies, analyzes, and delineates the forms of human relationships or forms of social process. Some sociologists are on the side or they are the advocates of the formalistic or specialistic school of thoughts and they are as follows:-
George Simmel
Max Weber
Vier Kandt
Von Wiese
Ferdinand Tonnies
And, due to the some criticism the specialistic or formalistic school of thoughts cannot take a right position in the scope of sociology . Some of the criticized are as follows:-
Other sciences also study forms of social relationship.
The conception of pure sociology is impractical.
Forms of social relationships differ from the forms of geometry.
Separated from the concrete relation, abstract forms can not be studies.
Formalistic school has extremely narrowed the scope of sociology.
As against the specialistic school the synthetic school wants to make sociology a synthesis of the social sciences or a general science. Sociology is the science of sciences and all the sciences are included in its scope, it synthesizes all of them. According to the synthetic school, the scope of sociology is encyclopedic and synoptic. The viewpoint, which are reflected in geographical, biological and economic determinism, these sociologists have advised to make sociology comprehensive and wide. In the words of Motwani," Sociology thus seeks to see life full and see it whole." Some sociologists are on the side or they are the advocates of synthetic school of thoughts and they are as follows:-
Emile Durkheim
Morrico Ginsberg
Reuter and Hart
Hob House
Sorokin
Thus, this school of thoughts wants sociology to be the synthesis of all social science. It attempts to wider the field of sociology. It views that society and in parts are so intimately related that they are difficult to understand in isolation.
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Sociology is the branch of knowledge and it has its own characteristics. Sociology has different nature in society. It is different from other sciences in certain respects. The following are the main characteristics of sociology as enlisted by Robert Bierstedt in his book " The Social Order" and they are as follows:-
Sociology is an independent science :- It is not treated and studies as a branch of any other science like philosophy or political philosophy or history.
Sociology is the social science and not a physical science :- As a social science it concentrates its attention on man, his social behaviour, social activities and social life.
Sociology is the categorical and not a normative discipline :- Sociology "Confines itself to statement about what is, not what should be or ought to be". As a social science sociology is necessarily silent about questions of value and it is ethically neutral.
Sociology is the pure science and not an applied science :- The main aim of pure science is the acquisition of knowledge and it is not bothered weather the acquired knowledge is useful or can be put to use.
Sociology is the relatively an abstract science and not a concrete science :- Sociology does not confine itself to the study of this society of that particular society or social organization, or marriage, or religion, or group and so on. It is in this simple sense that sociology is an abstract nor a concrete science.
Sociology is the generalizing and not a particularizing or individualizing science :- Sociology tries to find out the general laws or principles about human interaction and association, about the nature, from, content and the structure of human groups and societies. It tries to make generalisations on the basis of the study of some selected events.
Sociology is the general science not a special science :- The area of inquiry of sociology is general not specialised. It is concerned with human interaction and human life in general. It only studies human activities in a general way. Anthropology and social psychology often claim themselves to be general social science.
Sociology is both rational and an empirical science :- There are two broad ways of approach to scientific knowledge. Empiricism is the approach that emphasis experience and the facts that result from observation and experimentation. Rationalism is stresses reason and the theories that result from logical inference.
Above are the nature of sociology which helps to know about the sociology character on its field. It is clear from the above that sociology is an indepent, a social, a categorical, a pure, an abstract, a generalising, both a rational and a empirical and a general science.
Sociology is the wider and broader in scope and it was related or interlinked with many others social sciences. Sociology is the science of the society and in society many kinds of things were happens to fulfilled the whole society and there is co-operation between sciences like as follows:-
Political Science : Political science and sociology are very closely related. Political science deals with the political activities of man. It studies social groups organised under the sovereignty of the state. " Historically, sociology has its main root in politics and philosophy of history "- Morries Ginsberg. " Political is embedded in the social that if political science remains distinct from sociology, it will be because of the breadth of the field calls for the specialist, not because there are any well-defined boundaries marking it off from sociology"- Garner. Sociology is the science of state and government. Sociology is the young science and political science is older science.
History Science : Sociology and history are very much interrelated. Like political science, sociology is becoming one of the most genuine fruits of history to which it is intimately connected. History is the reconstruction of man's past. It is the story of the experience of man kind and the record of the human past. History is the microscope of the past, the horoscope of the present and the telescope of the future. Sociology is the science of society, on the other hand is intrested in the present. It tries to analyse human interactions and interrelations with all their complexity and diversity. It also studies the historical development of societies. History with its record of various social events of the past offers data facts to sociologists. History is a storehouse of records, a treasury of knowledge. Historians also uses sociology. 'History is past sociology', and 'Sociology is present History'-G.E. Howard.
Anthropology : The relation between sociology and anthropology is widely recognized today. Anthropology is " concerned not with particular man but with man in groups, with races and peoples and their happenings and doings". According to Hoebel, " Sociology and Social Anthropology are, in their broadest sense one and the same".Sociology has borrowed many concepts log, cultural patterns, cultural configuration, etc., from socio-cultural anthropology. Anthropology as a discipline is so closely related to sociology that the two are frequently indistinguishable. Sociologists in their studies
Psychology : Sociology and psychology are contributory sciences. Psychology has been defined as the study of human behaviour. In the words of Thouless, " Psychology is the positive science of human experience and behaviour ". As Krech and Crutchfield define, " Social Psychology is the science of the behaviour of the individual in society ". Social psychology helps us a great deal in facing several social problems. Murphy " Social psychology is the study of the way in which the individual becomes members of and functions in a social groups ". Sociology analyses social processes but social psychology analysis mental processes of man.
Economics : Sociology and economics as social sciences have close relations. According to Thomas, " Economics is, in fact, but one branch of the comprehensive science of sociology ". Dr. Alfred Marshall defines economics as " On the one side the study of wealth and on the other and more important side a part of the study of man ". Sociologists have contributed to the study of different aspects of economic organization. Sociology studies all kinds of social relationships but economics deals with only those social relationships which are economic.
Engineer Science
Web Science
Medical Science
Ayurveda's Science
Forest Science
Law Science
Human Science
Above all the science are interrelated with sociology in different ways. Thus that sociology is the wider in concept too.
