Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

The Sociology Of Emile Durkheim, Patricia Chewning Young

Honors Theses

Sociology, the science of society, is an academic discipline. As a social science it is concerned with the acquisition of knowledge, rather than with the reform of individuals or of society. Sociologists, however, are not indifferent to the attempts made by men to improve the conditions of human life. The French sociologist Emile Durkheim firmly believed that the knowledge acquired through the scientific investigation of society could be used to help men build a better tomorrow, but that this sound Imowledge was needed before any type of social reform could be effective. Durkheim's conception of society gave him an indelible …