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Lecture 2 - Sociological perspective
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Detailed notes of the second lecture of the course solidarity and social justice.
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Lecture 2 - Solidarity: asociological perspective
Why do we tend to help each other?
Sociological perspective
Solidarity: historical roots
If we think about the concept of solidarity, we might think of :
- Shared aims and interests (is related to having a common identity)
- It actually starts with something we are all familiar with: Family or kinship
Historically, family was most important to people. But, these ties are not static they
are dynamic.
o In addition, the importance of these ties are changing over time. In agrarian
societies, family was very very important. Then there were some shifts; people
started moving to cities, industrial revolution, modern societies
o What happened to the concept of solidarity while the importance of family
started shifting?
First thing we see is the concept of fraternity.
- Fraternity (brotherhood): went from a Christian to political value
o Involves voluntary associations with other people. Ties outside of the family
become important
o Was at first really just a concept within Cristian values; fellowship. Then the
French Revolution came: fraternity become a way of freedom and fighting for
justice. That’s when it first takes on that political meaning/value.
- If you think about the how solidarity had its meaning in Christian values, it really ties in
with the concept of:
Gemeinschaft = shared life experiences (work, community)
And Community: a willingness to share resources
Thusfar, we see a shift from Family fraternity community.
- Then we see a further shift, a shift to Gesellshaft (=society)
Gesellschaft = society (solidarity as a moral principle underlying society) (and the welfare
state).
Family ties were breaking up and becoming less important. People are also moving into
the cities and moving away from their kinship. Industrial revolution is happening,
capitalism as well. And as they are moving away from their smaller-knit communities,
that sense of society starts to become more important.
o The question thus is: What is it, that holds us together? What are the ties that
bind us?
Solidarity: sociological roots
- Last week: (political) philosophy & Rawls. Justice as fairness (social contract)
Rawls was trying to see social justice as a social contract. This means: implicit (unspoken)
rules and agreements about how to behave among members of society.
, o This week addition to this:
Inheriting a social contract is the reason why we agree to those rules; because
we act out of self-interest. We are self-interested people who are rational. But,
we don’t always act rational, act like Homo Economicus. Also, there is actually
proof that altruism in different forms does exist.
o Hobbes, Locke, Spencer (to some extent Rawls)
So what you see is that the social contract, begins to get a lot of critique as it
develops.
- Solidarity: a sociological critique of social contract
o Leroux, comte, Tönnies, Durkheim
Leroux: you are focusing too much on the individual if you are thinking
about a social contract. Because if it is about self-interest, what do I get
from you? Which is why, we agree to kinda get along. Then you are not
seeing an individual in relation to those around them. In doing this,
Leroux starts coming closer to the sociological definition. But Comté, is
the real Godfather of the term of solidarity.
Comté: if we look at the social order in society and how individuals
relate to each other, then this shift to capitalism with the industrial
revolution is having a disruptive effect on social order. (That moving
away, breaking with kinship ties etc. thus also has a disruptive
effect).
o So if all these people are moving to the city (where
working conditions were not great), why do we have any
sense of solidarity? What is holding us together?
Tönnies: takes this a step further, creates a idealtype of
Gemeinschaft and Gesellschaft; community vs. society. What
mechanisms will actually work?
All writers are trying to understand the set of shared values (as an integrative
mechanisms holding people together) that are there. (what you end up getting is
Durkheim mechanisms of solidarity)
o Shared values
DURKHEIM: MECHANICAL V.S. ORGANIC SOLIDARITY
Durkheim is writing his book at the end of the 19 th century, remember this socio-historic context.
See videoclip in lecture for further explanation of the solidarity mechanisms of Durkheim.
Mechanical solidarity
- Pre-industrial (traditional) society, in which people are all alike and there is very little
differentiation, but it doesn’t mean that no differentiation exists.
Little differentiation is not the same as sameness.
- Collective consciousness is created by this sameness, these shared values within a small
close-knit group and sense of fraternity and brotherhood. Collective consciousness has 2
key parts:
1. Material element: that we are all alike
2. Subjective element: people think alike
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