Emile Durkheim
From Philosopedia
Durkheim, Émile (15 April 1858 - 15 November 1917)
A French sociologist, he edited L'Année Sociologique, the first journal of sociology and one that contributed significantly to the inclusion of sociology and anthropology by the academy as accepted subjects in the social sciences. Subjects he wrote about included religion, crime, suicide, and aspects of education.
Durkheim taught philosophy at, in succession, Sens, Saint Quentin, and Troyes.
He held that the collective mind of society was the source of religion and morality and that the common values developed in society, particularly in primitive societies, are the cohesive bonds of social order.
Durkheim came from a long line of devout Jews - his great-grandfather, grandfather, and father had been rabbis. When young, however, he chose not to follow in their footsteps, leading to his conclusion that what is religious comes from social, not divine, factors. He rejected creeds, thinking they eventually would die as being humanly devised, not divinely revealed.
Among his books are The Rules of Sociological Method (1895), Le Suicide (1897), and The Elementary Forms of Religious Life (1912).
In 1902 he became the chair of education at the Sorbonne, a position he expanded and titled the chair of education and sociology.
Known in politics as a leftist, he favored a secular and rationalistic outlook for the French. His opponents included French rightists. Although he supported France during the war, even lost his son who was killed in a battle, Durkheim had emotional problems that made his final days difficult. He died at the age of 59 from exhaustion and is buried at the Cimetière du Montparnasse in Paris.
In sociology, Durkheim defined anomie as being a reaction against or a retreat from the regulatory social controls of society. For him, it is a completely separate concept from anarchy which is an absence of effective rulers or leaders. He borrowed the word from Jean-Marie Guyau, using it in Suicide (1897). Individuals suffering from anomie have weak standards and values, leading to their alienation and purposelessness, even leading to their unsocial behavior and lawlessness.
In religion, he was a positivist, and for him sociology was a scientific study of society. "God is society, writ large," he wrote, an outlook not accepted by Christians. Anthropologists, however, accepted his general outlook: "A religion is a unified system of beliefs and practices relative to sacred things, i.e. things set apart & forbidden - beliefs and practices which unite in one single moral community called a Church, all those who adhere to them." Religion, he held, has four major functions:
- 1. Disciplinary, forcing or administrating discipline
- 2. Cohesive, bringing people together, a strong bond
- 3. Vitalizing, to make more lively or vigorous, vitalize, boost spirit
- 4. Euphoric, a good feeling, happiness, confidence, well-being
