Sociology and Anthropology

Posted by Unknown , Tuesday, August 10, 2010 9:03 PM

Sociology and Anthropology Sociology is the science of society. Sociology word was terms which was derived from Latin and Greek words as the socious or societus and logos or logy which means society and science or study. Sociology word was first used by the French Professor August Comte. And, Comte introduced the word 'Sociology' for the first time in his famous work "Positive Philosophy at about 1893 ( Subject to nature and invariable laws, the discovery of which is the object of investigation)
Sociology is one of the members of the family of social sciences. Sociology is concerned with the life and activities of man. It studies the nature and character of human society, and also its origin, and development, structure and functions. And, it also analyses the group life of man and examines the bonds of social utility. Sociology tries to determine the relationship and interdependence between different elements of social life ; between moral and the religious, the economic and political, the intellectual and the philosophical and the aesthetic, the scientific and the technological, and non-material and so on.
Broadly it may be said that sociology has had a four fold origin ; in political philosophy, the philosophy of history, biological theories of evolution and the movements for social and political reforms.

Pioneers or founding fathers of sociology are as follows :-

  1. August Comte
  2. Herbert Spencer
  3. Karl Marx
  4. Max Weber
Some definitions of sociology by the sociologist are as follows:-
  • "Sociology is the science of society"- L.F. Ward
  • "Sociology deals with the behaviour of men in the groups"- Kimball Young
  • "The subject matters of the society is the interaction of human minds"- Young n Mack
Thus, many sociologist defines their own view on the topics of sociology and they are different from each other so sociology is the broad concept of society.
And, Anthropology means the study of human beings their behaviour and its evolution and about human structure. The word anthropology was derived from the Greek words 'Anthropos' and the 'logos' or 'logy' which means 'man' and the 'study or science'. Some definitions of anthropology are as follows:-
  • "Anthropology as the study of human beings"- Anthropology of Dictionary
  • "Anthropology is the science of groups of men and their behaviour and the production"- A.L. Kroeber
  • "Anthropology may be defined as the measurement of human beings"- M.J. Herskovites
Thus, anthropologists are seek answers to an enormous variety of questions about humans. They are interested to discovering when, where and why humans appeared on the earth, how and they have changed since then.
Sociology is the study of human social life, groups and societies. The scope of sociological study is extremely wide, ranging from the analysis of passing encounters between global social processes. Sociology is the science of society. Sociology deals with many things in the society likes family, education, networks, etc. sociology is the science of social relationship. It also studies about the social life and social action. Sociology have some functions also and they are as follows:
  • Social Structure
  • Customs
  • Social Institutions
  • Religion
  • Social Change
Anthropology is the study or science of human beings. Anthropology is the practical side and in this topic the anthropologist are seek to know that how human beings were incorporate a whole catalog of disciplines; sociology, psychology, political science, economics, history, human biology and perhaps even the humanistic disciplines of philosophy and literature. Most of those disciplines have existed longer than anthropology, and each is somewhat distinctive. Anthropology is the scientific study of overall activities and the development about human history to the present. Anthropology mainly concerned on primitive communities to the study of varying cultural patterns developed in different periods of human history.