Sociology is the study of human social relationships and institutions.

The term sociology was coined by French philosopher Auguste Comte in 1838, who for this reason is now known as the Father of Sociology. Its roots however go further back to the times of Plato and Aristotle where sociology as an individual study was not yet developed. It is a diverse field of study, ranging from crime to religion, from the family to the state, from the divisions of race and social class to the shared beliefs of a common culture and much more. The eighteenth century was the beginning or the first time that scientists tried to understand and explain general standards of the social world. To do this they had to detach themselves or try to look at the world from an outsiders point- of- view in order to explain the social life. As noted before, Auguste Comte (1798-1857) was the father of sociology. He believed that science could be used to study the social world and the analyses of it could be used to discover the laws governing our social lives. Even though he advocated for the elevated status of sociology as a separate field, he did also contribute to the body of work by categorizing the main focus of study into the Social Statics and the Social Dynamics. Herbert Spencer, (1858-1917) was one of the men who expanded on the Social Statics. His first book was published in 1851 and was named Social Statics: The Conditions Essential to Human Happiness. Social Statics deals with the conditions of social order and he believed that one day, humans would complete adapt to the requirements of social life. In 1855, he published his second book but it wasnt as successful as the first. He introduced the term survival of the fittest, elaborating what came to be known as the philosophy of social Darwinism. He extended Darwin's ideas about evolution into social life and ethics, hence the term "social Darwinism." Emile Durkheims (1858- 1917) writings had an even greater impact on modern sociology than those of Comte. He was responsible for making sociology an actually science that

we study today. To become scientific, according to Durkheim, sociology must study social facts, i.e. aspects of social life that shape our actions as individuals. One of Durkheim's most famous studies was concerned with the analysis of suicide (Durkheim 1952, originally published in 1897). In his book, he has given a fine sociological analysis of suicide which is based as the theory of sociology or collective mind. Three aspects of suicide that he focused on are Fatalistic Suicide, Anomic Suicide and Altruistic suicide. By analysing suicide statistics, Durkheim found that the suicide rate was more in case of the unmarried, widowed, divorced those without children, and those with no strong attachments to religious, social or community groups. Max Weber (1864- 1920) broke away from positivism as the only framework for studying social phenomena. Out of all the four men mentioned, he was the first to introduce concepts of cause and effect into the analytical framework (Elizabeth M. Young). Max Weber's sociology is fundamentally a science that employs both interpretive understanding and causal explanations of social action and interaction. His typology of the four types of social action is central to comprehending his sociology (Chapter 4 Chapter Summary of the Sociological Theory by George Ritzer). All of these people add a significant impact in todays Sociology. Their findings and writings are what has enabled us to be where we are today in sociology. To study sociology, is to know about the important matters that affect our personal, social/ community and global lives. Some of these would include racial and gender identity, family conflict, deviant behaviour, poverty and wealth, prejudice and discrimination, schools and education, war and peace, and economic development. Sociologists emphasize the careful gathering and analysis of evidence about social life to develop and enrich our understanding of key social processes.

References: http://sociology.about.com/od/Sociology101/a/History-Of-Sociology.htm http://sociology.unc.edu/undergraduate-program/sociology-major/what-is-sociology

Cragun, R.T. and Cragun, D. (2011). Introduction to Sociology. http://edu.learnsoc.org/Chapters/1%20introduction/3%20history%20of%20sociology.htm

Stolley, K.S. (2011). The Basics of Sociology. http://edu.learnsoc.org/Chapters/1%20introduction/7%20sociology%20as%20an%20academic% 20discipline.htm http://www.biography.com/people/auguste-comte-9254680 http://sociology.about.com/od/Profiles/p/Herbert-Spencer.htm https://www.boundless.com/sociology/understanding-sociology/the-development-ofsociology/social-darwinism-and-spencer/ http://highered.mcgrawhill.com/sites/0072817186/student_view0/chapter4/chapter_summary.ht ml