solving social problems

Ideology

solving social problems

Daniel Timo Barajas Community College of DenverSociety and Technology

References

Sociology (with MySocLab Student Access Code Card), 13/E John J. Macionis,Kenyon College

ISBN-10:0205769098ISBN-13: 9780205769094Publisher: PearsonCopyright: 2010Format: Kit/Package/ShrinkWrapPublished: 10/29/2009Status:Instock

Suggested retail price:$156.00Buy from myPearsonStore Customers outside the U.S., click here.

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References Wild KnowledgeScience, Language, and Social Life in a Fragile EnvironmentWill Wright$25.00 paper ISBN: 0-8166-2051-2ISBN-13: 978-0-8166-2051-7

"Science is an incoherent form of knowledge, and, despite technical proficiency, it 'is conceptually wrong, wrong about nature, and wrong about knowledge' (p. 3). With this radical premise, Will Wright's intentions in this book are to challenge the validity of the so-called instrumental successes of scientific technologies, to demonstrate the incoherence and inadequacy of science, and to establish new criteria for evaluating the legitimacy of knowledge claims.." Contemporary Sociology


References Political Ideologies: Their Origins And Impact (10th Edition).Using A Chronological Organization, Political Ideologise Explains The Evolving Of Political Thought Over The Past Three Centuries And Describes Political Ideolgoies In The Context Of The Social, Household, And Political Circumstances In Which They Developed. It Provides Students With A Complete Understanding Of Political Ideologies And How These Concepts Relate To Their Admit Lives. Manufacturer: Prentice HallSKU: 0136037186


Seeing Patterns: The Sociological PerspectiveSociology is the systematic study of human societies.Society is a term referring to people who live within a territory and share many patterns of behaviors.Culture refers to a way of life including widespread values, beliefs, and behavior.BarajasSociety and Technology 5

Concept Web What is Sociology?Society and Technology

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6Concept Web (p. 21)What is Sociology?

Life Chances BarajasSociety and Technology 7Max Webers term life chances refers to the extent to which individuals have access to important societal resources such as food, clothing, shelter, educational and health care.

According to sociologists, more-affluent people typically have better life chances than the less-affluent because they have greater access to quality education, safe neighborhoods, high-quality nutrition and health care, police and private security protection, and an extensive array of other good s and services.

WealthBarajasSociety and Technology 8Wealth is the value of all of a persons or familys economic assets, including income, personal property, and income-producing property. Prestige the respect or regard with which a person or status position is regarded by others.

Power the ability of people or group[s to achieve their goals despite opposition from others.

Webers Multidimensional ApproachBarajasSociety and Technology 9

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Life Chances BarajasSociety and Technology 10

In contrast, persons with low- and poverty-level incomes tend to have limited access to these resources.

Resources are anything valued in a society, ranging from money and property to medical care and education; they are considered to be scarce because of unequal distribution among social categories.

Defining Social ProblemsA social problem is a condition that undermines the well-being of some or all members of society is usually a matter of public controversyDetermining social problems can be controversialsubjective and objective realities may actually end up being quite different what people identify as the most serious social problems varies over timeBarajasSociety and Technology 11

Concept WebCulture, Society, and Social Change

Society and Technology

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12Concept Web (p. 74)Culture, Society, and Social ChangeThis concept web places the concept of the Great Social Transformation at the center of the web. The concept of the Great Social Transformation is emphasized throughout the book. We show how the GST is reflected in all of the major topics we cover. Ongoing social change has become a permanent feature of life in human societies. It is important for students today to realize that all aspects of our lives are affected by the GST. Through that realization, we may become proactive in attempting to influence social change so that its outcomes are humane and positive for all people. In Chapter 16 we describe how such actions may be undertaken.How would you redraw the concept web to make theories of change the central concept?

Sociological theoryFunctional ApproachStructural ApproachSocial Conflict ApproachSymbolic Interaction BarajasSociety and Technology 13

Concept Web (p. 104)Socialization


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14Concept Web (p. 104)SocializationThis is a concept web for socialization. What argument would you make to support connecting Resocialization to Agents of Socialization? What argument could be made to support connecting Childhood to Mass Media?

The Map is Not the TerritoryBarajas15

praxis

reflexivityinner conversation

thinking about doingSelfOntologySociety and Technology

What then is Reality? Most restrictively, those aspects of the physical universe that are directly or indirectly measurable. The term may be used to include constructs that are inferable or interpretable from logical induction or theoretical analysis, but not measurable in the above sense.Also used by many to include all that which forms an integral part of what an individual believes to be real.


In this sense, reality is objective and limited to what can be publicly and reliably measured. E.g. gravity, natural selection, personality, etc would all be regarded as parts of reality by 2, although they may be problematical by 1. Free will, ghosts, God, etc for a compelling part of reality for some but not for all. - social reality.

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BarajasSociety and Technology 17PracticalDiscursive KnowledgeEmbodied Knowledge

SubjectivityBarajasSociety and Technology 18The unique perspective each of us has on our own conscious experience. What we see, hear, feel, and think can be discussed with other people, but the actual experience of these things can never be shared in a manner resembling our own internal awareness of them. One of the difficult questions of consciousness is how to account for qualia, or the phenomenological percepts of the world.

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Ways of KnowingSense Experience (empiricism) gathering knowledge by observing occurrences and organisms in the real world.Tenacity stubbornness Authority accept the word of a famous or respected figure without skepticism. Emotion gut feeling that may cause us to believe more in one idea than in another. BarajasSociety and Technology 19Epistemology

Ways of KnowingCommon Sense sound practical judgment is based on individual experiences and perceptions, though, and is therefore not really common at all. Common sense is based on only one persons experiences, it is limited to that persons biases. Intuition knowledge that seems to enter our consciousness without much voluntary effort. BarajasSociety and Technology 20

Ways of KnowingLogic (rationalism)

BarajasSociety and Technology 21Premise: All humans are mortal ; Premise: I am a human;Conclusion : Therefore, I must be mortal.

Premise: No woman can count ; Premise: I am a woman;Conclusion : Therefore, I cannot count.

Often, logical reasoning takes the form of a syllogism, which is a series of premises that lead to a conclusion. The logic in syllogism 2 is flawless, but the fact that the first premise is wrong ensures that the conclusion will also be wrong.

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Ways of KnowingScience (objective) The scientific method of knowing is a combination of observation by sense experience plus reasoning by logic.Scientists start to evaluate new ideas by observing events directly These observations are considered to be objective, or unbiased, because they can be verified by others. If such replication does not produce similar results, then the new idea is not accepted. BarajasSociety and Technology 22

Is Psychology Free of Value Judgments?BarajasSociety and Technology 23Value Judgmentsubjective judgment: a judgment of the worth, appropriateness, or importance of somebody or something made on the basis of personal beliefs, opinions, or prejudices rather than facts.Justificationsomething that justifies: something, for example, a reason or circumstance, that justifies an action or attitude

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The Structural-Functional ApproachA theoretical framework that sees society as a system of many interrelated parts.BarajasSociety and Technology 24

The Structural-Functional ApproachA theoretical framework that sees society as a system of many interrelated partsSocial Institutions: the main parts of this system (organized to meet basic human needs)educationfamilyeconomicspoliticsreligionBarajasSociety and Technology 25

The Structural-Functional ApproachEarly Functionalism: Problems as Social PathologyThe Chicago School: Problems as DisorganizationMore Recent Functionalism: Problems as DysfunctionsManifest versus Latent FunctionsEufunctions versus DysfunctionsBarajasSociety and Technology 26

The Social Conflict ApproachA theoretical framework that sees society as divided by inequality and conflictSocial problems arise because our society is divided into haves and have notsBarajasSociety and Technology 27

The Social Conflict ApproachMarxism: Problems and Class ConflictCapitalistsProletariansMulticulturalism: Problems of Racial and Ethnic InequalityFeminism: Problems and Gender ConflictBarajasSociety and Technology 28


The Relationship Between Economic Structure and the Ideational Superstructure (Ideology) in Marxian Theory: Ideology and Exploitation

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29Figure 7.1 (p. 186)The Relationship Between Economic Structure and the Ideational Superstructure (Ideology) in Marxian Theory: Ideology and ExploitationThis figure shows the argument of Marx that the subordinate class of industrial society provides the labor for the organizations of economic production owned by the ruling class. The ruling class exploits the subordinate class because the ruling class does not return to the subordinate class just rewards for its labor. In addition, the ruling class, because of its social power, is able to create an ideology that justifies its exploiting behavior. This ideology is accepted by the subordinate class, and so it cooperates in its own exploitation.

The Symbolic-Interaction Approach

A theoretical framework that sees society as the product of individuals interacting with one anotherBarajasSociety and Technology 30

The Symbolic-Interaction ApproachLearning Theory: Problems and the Social Environment

Labeling Theory: Problems and Social DefinitionsBarajasSociety and Technology 31

Truth, Science, and PoliticsMax Webers value-free approachThe value commitment approachIs objective research even possible?BarajasSociety and Technology 32

Responding to Social Problems: Social PolicySocial policy refers to formal strategies to affect how society operates.BarajasSociety and Technology 33

Responding to Social Problems: Social PolicyThe evaluation of social policy:How is success defined? What are the costs? Whom should get the help?BarajasSociety and Technology 34

Policy and CultureSocial policy tends to be shaped by existing cultural valuesBarajasSociety and Technology 35

Concept Web The Political Order

Society and Technology Barajas36

36Concept Web (p. 324)The Political OrderThis is a concept web for the political order. Not included is the topic of war and terrorism. How would you include the topic in the web? Try this write a short essay about how the concepts of state power and politics go together.

Policy and PoliticsConservatives: seek to limit the scope of societal change (focus is on shortcomings of individuals, not society)Liberals: favor more sweeping change in society (see problems in the organization of society)Radicals: support policies that go beyond mere reform can be either ultra liberal or ultra conservativeBarajasSociety and Technology 37

The role of ideas in politicsWhat people think and believe about society, power, rights, etc., determines their actionsEverything has to pass through the mind of the individual before he or she actsHow do the ideas and beliefs appear in our minds?Critical examination of reality thinking for oneselfInfluence of others opinions family, education, mass media, etc.Some forms of teaching imprison the mindOthers liberate the mind, enabling it to think criticallySubjugation by force is the crudest form of social controlMind control is a much more effective methodBut is it really effective? BarajasSociety and Technology 38

main concepts about the role of ideas in politics:

Political culture the broad pattern of political orientations shared by a large group of people (a nation, a region, a class, an ethnic group)

Political ideology a system of political ideas, developed for the purposes of political action (governing a country, launching a social movement or a political party, organizing a revolution or a counterrevolution, etc.)BarajasSociety and Technology 39

What are political ideologies for?To provide people with programs of political action:to govern societies, orto struggle for changeBoth for integration and for conflict, you need an ideology a coherent set of ideas for purposeful actionThe earliest ideologies were religions. Many of the earliest rulers in history were priests.In the Modern Age, political ideologies become increasingly secular (non-religious, some anti-religious), but religions continue to serve as important sources for ideologies to this dayExamples: Christian democracy, Christian socialism, Protestant fundamentalism, Islamic radicalism


It is the very essence of political ideology to differ from another ideology on what to do with the status quo (the existing order of things):To keep it or to change it.At the core of every political idea, every political action is a choice between YES and NO. Look at the work of the parliament Or the UN Or an election

The differences between ideologies are rooted in basic assumptions about:human nature are humans naturally peaceful, cooperative, rational?individual and society: which interests come first?equality: how much social inequality is acceptableBarajasSociety and Technology 41

Ideology vs. pragmatismDoes too much ideology make you narrow-minded?Should ones political beliefs be based on one ideology - be doctrinaire?Shouldnt politicians be free to borrow ideas from different ideologies if they work better in a particular situation?At issue: orthodoxy vs. pluralismOrthodoxy (traditionalist, pre-modern view): the rulers should maintain one ideology as dominant to foster unity and harmony in society. UNITY THROUGH UNIFORMITYCan work only: in traditional, pre-modern societies or, in societies in transition to modernity, in periods of extreme crisis. Requires generally low educational levelsBarajasSociety and Technology 42

Pluralism (modern view associated with liberalism): the rulers allow different ideologies in society to compete. UNITY THROUGH TOLERATION OF DIFFERENCESE pluribus unumWorks better in developed, modern and postmodern, complex societies with high educational levelsAre there limits to toleration? Should some ideologies be banned?Is there such a thing as liberal orthodoxy?


The challenge of liberal-democratic politicsTo accept ideological pluralism as a normal condition of society -And try to maintain social unity through toleration of differences and management of conflictIt is not always possibleSome ideologies can coexist with each otherOthers are so strongly opposed to each other that they cannot be reconciled by means of compromiseOr can they?


Political Spectrum: From Left to Right

Political ideologies, through opposition, competition, fusion, mixing, etc. exist in constant interaction with each otherTogether, they form a political spectrumIt is a useful tool of political analysis BarajasSociety and Technology 45

King Louis XVI

The Right:Supporters of the existing order, monarchists

The Left:Advocates of radical change, republicansThe terms Left and Right originate from the seating of the members of the newly elected French Legislative Assembly in 1791 during the French Revolution Legislative AssemblyBarajasSociety and Technology 46

It was in the interests of the King to be able to manage the conflict between Left and Right through centrist, pragmatic policies, borrowing ideas for state policy from both sides and trying to build a consensus It proved impossible. France experienced a revolution a radical change of the political and social orderBut even then, there were people in the middle between the extremes

Extremists vs. moderatesIn normal conditions, the political spectrum includes a range of ideological colours between the extremes BarajasSociety and Technology 47

Table 1-2


Politics: Constructing Problems and Defining SolutionsThe Political Spectrum: a continuum representing a range of political attitudes from left to rightSocial Issues: political debates involving moral judgments about how people should liveEconomic Issues: political debates about how a society should distribute material resourcesBarajasSociety and Technology 49

Who Thinks What?Two good predictors of political attitudes are education and wealth both of which are elements of social classThe fact that social class affects social and economic attitudes differently means that most people have some combination of liberal and conservative attitudesBarajasSociety and Technology 50

Far Left Centre- Left Centre Centre- Right Far Right Socialists Liberal Conservatives UltraconservativesCommunists Liberals Conservatives Fascists Radicals Reactionaries

Political spectrum: the standard linear modelBarajasSociety and Technology 51

Ideas associated with different fields of political spectrumThe Right:Conservatism preserve the status quo, oppose changeReaction throw back the forces of change, restore the old orderFascism mobilize the nation for war, suppress pluralism to achieve unity through orthodoxy

The Left:Radicalism go to the roots of problems, change the foundations of societySocialism advance the interests of society against the interests of elitesCommunism abolish private property to achieve equality and social harmony, suppress pluralism to achieve unity through orthodoxy

The Centre:Liberalism expand the scope of freedom, accept change, assert the primacy of individual rights, develop market economy and political pluralismBorrow ideas from Left and RightBarajasSociety and Technology 52

So, there are several dimensions here:Change or preservation of status quoFreedom or orderPluralism or orthodoxyEquality or inequalityMarket or stateIdeas interact, travel across the spectrumToo many possible combinationsHow can all these complexities be taken into account?


Political spectrum: a 2-dimensional model Market

Right

Left State

Social democracyMarket socialism Welfare state liberalism

State socialism(Communism) FascismNeoliberalism

Market authoritarianism

Traditional conservatismBarajasSociety and Technology 54

AuthoritarianismDemocracy Market StateInequalityEqualityYou may use 3 or more dimensions


the market, tradePolitical spectrum: the circular model, based on Clinton Rossiter

THE LEFT:change, freedom, equality, laborTHE RIGHT: status quo, order, inequality, capital

FASCISM

COMMUNISMCONSERVATISM LIBERALISM BarajasSociety and Technology 56

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