Durkheim

The Rules of Sociological Method by Emile Durkheim outlines how one should go about observing sociological behaviors. He acknowledges that personal, preexisting prejudices can affect sociologists’ observations, and stresses that objectivity and understanding the observations as one belonging to the observed group would. In a sense, he advises that observations be taken within their own terms, without perversion from personal beliefs and prejudices. Durkheim, within the Division of Labour is Society, discusses specialization of tasks and workers; moving from a basic, primitive culture to a more mechanical, industrial, and advanced society. Durkheim talks about how moving from an alienating and punishing culture to an advanced, rewarding, and complete culture will produce conflicts and chaos, but once the transition is complete, the society will be finished developing and be considered whole. In the Elementary Forms of the Religious Life, he talks about how religion came about from societies attributing emotions and powers to objects and otherworldly beings, regarding them as sacred. This leads to unification of a society under a belief system.

Durkheim seems to have an understanding of how sociological observations should be carried out, respecting observed cultures on their own terms and keeping personal judgments and biases outside of observed findings. Durkheim also seems not to focus on conflict, as Marx does, and instead feels that societies will specialize and divide based on needs and personal merit and achievement. Also, he objectively describes what religion is instead of advocating a particular belief over another.

Durkheim’s rules will always apply to sociology, since they are fundamental to the process of properly making observations of social entities. I find nothing in particular wrong with what Durkheim has to say.