SOCIOLOGY
India entered into 21st century. People have a lot of hope and the younger generation has many aspirations, needs and interests to do something fruitful and take up careers and occupations which are self satisfying and lead them to a better future and live in harmony.
India has made advancements in the field of science, technology, agricultural production, elimination of diseases like small pox and on the way to abolish polio, leprosy, TB, etc. We are fighting to remove malaria, filaria, hepatitis, etc. We talk of “Health for All”, “Education for All”, “Houses for All”, clean drinking water and better environment.
At the same time, we are facing social problems like communal, caste and religious tensions, sharing of river waters, prejudices against girl child, women, minorities, tribals, nomads and less privileged groups and so on. Can we overcome the social problems which afflict our society and divide the people and community on various lines? A study of society on scientific lines is the need of the hour.
BEGINNINGS OF SOCIOLOGY
The study of society which includes community, family, different groups has begun in 1837 by August Comte, a French philosopher. He was the first man to coin the word “Sociology.” It is derived from the Latin word “societus” meaning society and Greek word “logos” meaning, the study of science. Thus sociology is “Science of Society.” It is essentially a systematic study of network of social relationships that exist in society. It is one of the youngest of the social sciences that we come across in early part of 20th 84century. It was studied as a part of social philosophy. It was introduced as a subject of independent study in universities in UK. In early 1930's and 40's while psychology got separated from mental philosophy and also sociology from social philosophy. Social thinkers like Rosseaeu, Voltaire, Comte began to study and analyse developments in society. Much earlier, Greek philosophers like Plato and Aristotle began to work models of ideal society. Later social thinkers began scientific study of actual societies—the emergence, growth, development and problems like social strife, fanaticism, violence, divorce, marriage, religious rites, customs, mores and beliefs in society. Social philosophers like August Comte, George Simmel, Emil Durkheim, Max Weber in their social philosophy made scientific study of society evolving “the Subject of Sociology.” So sociology began as an independent study and became an important and independent social science like psychology, anthropology, politics, economics and so on.