Sociological theories are responsible for shaping societal interactions and institutions by creating relationships that offer conducive environments for prosperity, success and commonality. Social problems are addressed using such theories by understanding first how societies are set up and how they function. Sociological thinking is the basis of sociological theories aimed at developing several perspectives of looking at social issues, which tentatively allows for brainstorming in forging diverse working solutions. Such perspectives include functionalist, conflict and symbolic interaction. Sociological theories have been developed since the initial existence of man and his evolution, which has led to the progression of these theories to accommodate the ever-changing society (Sica, 2019). Classical theories describe traditional sociological theories that try to understand and explain the current world as we know it. These theories approach societal characteristics in transition from pre-modern setups to current modern societies. Sociological theories of classical nature were shaped by the "founding fathers" of classical sociology and thought who framed the operationalized nature of society as what consequences of actions taken now affect the future and in what way. These philosophers include Karl Marx, Max Weber, and Emile Durkheim. Their explanation of classical sociological theories and their transitions paved the way for modern societies to improve using contemporary sociological theories (Akil, 2017). Contemporary theories describe a different age in sociological thought developed in the twentieth century that builds on classical theories to create critical conceptions of a perfect socio-cultural system in essence and n organization. The ultimate goal of these post-modern theories is the movement towards a predefined order using specific approaches such as critical theory, phenomenology, feminist theory and globalization.
Classical theories relied on historical materialism to develop "laws of history" that describe specific concepts in society, such as capitalism and ethics. Karl Marx's basic philosophy denotes that there can be no means of communal reproductions without the necessary material conditions. An overturn of Hegel's idealist formation of history, Karl's historical materialism shapes social and political conditions as the dialectic focus of material condition whence, the circumstances responsible for any social phenomena is also a means for its eradication (Akil, 2017). Dialectics offers a viewpoint on historical context and the need to study it thoroughly to understand past and current material conditions in predicting future conditions. With the transitions of regions into nations, Karl argues the concept of capitalism on the relationship between people and land. The struggle for class in feudalist relations was at the core of every capitalist nation. Advent to modernity through property and labour laws depict the circumstances in which an individual, an institution and a government can craft the socio-economic and political conditions through provisions in industry, agriculture and crafts under feudalism (Sica, 2019). Tentatively, the situation under a capitalist nation relies on the production and exchanges generated by its existing feudalist societies.
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Moreover, Karl argues that the rise of capitalism through the objectification of nature and commodification of labour-power will, at some point in the future, result in exploitation which is a factor of demise and destruction. Therefore, Karl purports for a future where capitalism thrives by abolishing private property through the turning of the bourgeoisie felled feudalism against itself, leading to a rise in the working class who fuel socio-economic and political interactions that sustains nations both short-term and long-term (Abrutyn, 2013). Karl understood how classical sociological thought influences historical setups and how these setups progressed over time. The vivid trend, however promising, delineated a future worse than the past despite major improvements in social, economic and political institutions.
Max Weber's philosophy on classical sociology uses a similar approach to Karl's, but he adds on the multifaceted nature of the transitions between feudalism and capitalism. Culture, bureaucracy and rationality breed the understanding of the progression of modern societies from the functional connections between the society and the economy. Weber connotes there is no direct linear relationship between these two aspects, pointing out a complicated relationship between social factors that bring about development deliberately or not. Weber's classical theories rely on The Protestant Ethic and Spirit of Capitalism that forges a dominant economic system contrary to the existing Catholic system that was the order of pre-capitalist Europe (Akil, 2017). Capitalism was hand in hand with Protestants way of faith who industrially advanced Europe amidst a Catholic reign. The rationale behind the ethics of ascetic Protestantism was encouraging people to take risks and indulge in the capitalistic venture for economic growth, which results in societal progression, against which the Catholic society portrayed as tempting and worldly distractions.
On the other hand, Emile Durkheim approached the issues of society uniquely by asking a different set of questions to derive classical sociology depicting the transition of traditional societies to contemporary ones. Emile's initial concern was how societies remain unified. From the primitive state to the current modern society, the cohesiveness of society inspired his initial work, The Elementary Forms of Religious Life , where Emile tries to explain how religion influences societal functions and economic output. The purpose and significance of religion influences morality which is what drives people. In a particular society, Emile points out that the values, morals, rules and ethics derived from their religion drive their commitment towards specific goals. Religion as a regulatory regime determines people's way of life and society's state (Akil, 2017). Emile derived his theory of the evolution of societies from this ideology, as highlighted in his example of division of labour. Primitive societies used structured kinship relations to assign tasks due to lack of mechanical solidarity and social differentiation compared to advanced societies that use organic solidarity and civil laws based on existing differences that provide a diverse labour force. Emile's classical theory delineates the division of labour and its complexity in developing working societal systems accounting for socio-economic and political growth and progression of traditional societies into contemporary societies.
The contemporary social theory identifies current sociological systems that exist to solve and mitigate social problems in the progress of humanity over time. Contemporary theories are in their basic form developments of classical theories transposed into modern and post-modern eras. Cotemporary sociology provides a grand connection between the positivist philosophy of science and the optimism of sociologist developing sustainable theories that explain society and the eradication of social problems. Contemporary theories cannot be highlighted in origin due to the progressive transition of classical theories over time. Still, a timestamp of the early twentieth century is a vivid view of initial contemporary sociological theories that address the problem of identity language, culture and conflict (Abrutyn, 2013). Cotemporary theory categories include quantum theory, chaos theory, living system theory and systems theory. The conception of these categories shares a common description of the essence of socio-cultural setups as seen from the first instances of definitions of society. Approaches to contemporary theory are build-ups from how societies were forged over time and how systems worked and failed, and how strategies were implemented for improvement. The transition between the sociological theories is seen through the approaches examined and how these approaches were applied in structure and interpretation to understand societies and solve societal problems. The approaches associated with contemporary sociological theory include interpretive sociology, critical theory, poststructuralism, globalization theories, structural-functionalism, post-modernism, contemporary theoretical syntheses and contemporary feminist theory. Classical theories lacked these approaches due to the nature of traditional societies with limited aspects and social setups to warrant diverse reactions. Modern societies are more diverse, with multi-cultural setups that force various approaches that understand each unique social set up, the social problems that might result and their subsequent solutions (Stepnisky, 2019). Hence, due to increased population, globalization, and advanced technology create the need also to advance sociology that addresses social issues using information from classical theories that have studied societies over several centuries. Contemporary theories like classical theories are developed under thorough scrutiny and critique from philosophers, sociologists, and theorists using positivism and abstraction of existing theories based on their success and influence. The resulting scrutiny and critique culminate in the development, improvement and advancement of contemporary social theory.
In conclusion, sociological theories, in essence, define what society is, how society works and how the problems in society can be addressed. It is human nature to establish working systems in structured and organized methodology based on specific commonalities, be it religion, culture or economic activities. Social setups drive regions and nations and ensured continued sustenance and existence. Therefore, the basic premise behind all sociological theories is explaining how the current world results from traditional societies transitioning into modern societies. "Founding fathers" provide insight based on thorough research, analysis and expertise in understanding societies, explaining how they function over time and predicting what the future holds. The progression of societies and the understanding of the mechanism of this progression allow for the development of theories that become useful in solving problems that might arise in societal functions and describing the future of a specific society. Classical theories are vital in depicting and describing traditional societies and highlighting the changes evident in society vis-à-vis the progressions of industry, technology, education, culture and religions. Tentatively, contemporary theories arise using specific approaches that describe modern and post-modern societies referencing it to classical theories and traditional societies.
References
Abrutyn, S. (2013, May 15). Teaching Sociological Theory for a New Century: Contending with the Time Crunch. The American Sociologist . Issue 44, pp 132-154. Doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12108-013-9181-x
Akil, S. (2017, Jan 31). Summary of Classical Sociological Theory. Retrieved from Decolonize All The Things : https://decolonizeallthethings.com/2017/01/31/summary-of-classical-sociological-theory/
Sica, A. (2019, Oct 4). Classical Sociological Theory. The Wiley Blackwell Companion to Sociology , 2 nd Edition, Chapter 1. Doi: https://doi.org/10.1002/9781119429333.ch1
Stepnisky, J. (2019, Oct 4). Contemporary Social Theory. The Wiley Blackwell Companion to Sociology , 2 nd Edition, Chapter 2. Doi: https://doi.org/10.1002/9781119429333.ch2
