Discuss Marxism and Functuionalism and Compare

correspond bolshy and Functionalist Perspectives Comp are and Contrast Functionalist and Marxist Perspectives Sociology is a systematic way of studying the complaisant world. It seeks to impress the causes and affects of intercommunication and interaction that arise in sociable dealing. The experience of parliamentary law was developed as a guinea pig in the nineteenth Century by Auguste Compte, a French philosopher. For him, common sense and the obvious would not suffice he wanted to build scientific theories based on critical awareness of ball club.The deuce primary(prenominal) stems of sociological concepts are Positivism and Phenomenology. both Functionalism and Marxism are Positivist theories. This way that philosophies are make by using scientific research methods to micturate structural surveys. Positivism is c all in alled macro sociology because it looks at society holistically it excessively emphasises the power of Society and how this effects soldierys beha viour. Positivism was a philosophy from the current Era when society was industrial, Englands culture untolerating, the throne media conservative and pro-establishment.Role in society was exceedingly important it was traditional and genders specific. Functionalism provided a static mountain of society. It was rooted in the work of Emile Durkheim, a French Sociologist and during the later stages, Talcott Parsons. Although designalism was not a dominant supposititious perspective in sociology until the 1940s and 1950s, it first emerged during the 19th Century. Marxism was founded by a German philosopher, economist and sociologist, Karl Marx. Fredrich Engels also contributed to development the kit and caboodle.Marxism offered a radical alternative to the in operation(p)ism perspective and was developed in the 1970s. Both perspectives of Marx and Durkheim, aspired for a utopian society. Functionalism views society like a biological organism. The separate or institutions of the o rganism or society function appropriately to ensure the whole structure works efficiently and effectively. The whole has greater power than the various(prenominal) part. The three main aims and objectives of functionalism are to maintain order, constancy and equalizer in society.Marxism became increasingly influential collectible to the decline in functionalism, its promise to provide answers (which functionalism did not) and its liking reflected that of the times. It originally consisted of three related ideas a philosophical view of man, a theory of history and an economic and political program. The canonic principal was that ware equals social enterprise. Man needs to get under ones skin food, materials, etc for survival, and in doing so man enters into relations with other members of society.From a functionalist perspective, the main parts of society (its institutions such as education, pietism and the family) are the foundations for social structure. These institutio ns puzzle interconnected roles and relate norms to form a complete system. All of the institutions pass on a role to meet the functional prerequisites (societys basic needs). Integration between the parts is necessity so therefor integration is a functional prerequisites in itself. Social relations are organised, in result of values providing general guidelines for behaviour.Functionalist, Talcott Parsons set start four functional prerequisites essential for society coating Attainment- setting goals, e. g. Government/Education, Adaptation- development of material world, e. g. sight Media/Industry, Integration- promoting harmony and social solidarity, e. g. Religion/Family, Latency- meeting soulfulness needs to satisfy demand, e. g. Family/Mass Media. From a Marxist view, the force of production is the collective term for all things needed for production. The means of production are those parts of production which can be legally owned (land, machinery, and slaves . Societys infrastructure was made up of the forces of production plus the social relations. The Superstructure includes the institutions of society and is molded by the infrastructure. This therefor means that the institutions are in the first place determined by economic factors. Marxism relates tier not to in arrive or family like functionalism does, instead it is measured on how much land, machinery is owned and controlled- so it depends on the means of production. The person(s) who had the most means of production are the thought class. The ruling class produces the dominant ideas in society.Their control relies heavily on the exploitation and jamion of others. The employer to employee affinity of exploitation is concealed by ideology. Some convey the ruling class battle as lifelike and so are lulled into false consciousness. Functionalism relies on social stratification. Kingsley Davis, an American Sociologist and Demographer said As a functioning mechanism society must run out its members in social positions and induce them to perform the duties of these positions. Without this roll of societys members, the institutions would be unbalanced and equilibrium could not be reached.Functionalism sees this as a prescribed and inevitable aspect of society. In Marxism, the lower classes are exploited because they can be. Social change in Functionalism occurs when one of the institutions alters in some way. These changes only come about when society requests it. These changes in institutions cause society to behave, inevitably different. Marx believed all historical societies contain basic contradictions the exploitation of one social group by another. Perhaps in a way, Marxism is perhaps a little more realistic than functionalism.Therefor, they cannot survive in the existing form. The major frictions are between the forces and the relations of production. A great deal of the wealth, produced by the hands is appropriated in the forms of profit by the Capitalist s- the ruling class. The salary of the workers are not equivalent to the wealth they produce and so the ruling class was exploiting and oppressing the working class. Marx predicted a bran-new and final epoch. A society that would have complete equality. There would be no new force of production but the relations of production will be transformed.The ownership of production would be collective, as the members of society would share the wealth. The ruling class would no longer exploit or oppress the workers. It is interesting how Functionalists see people as unequalised a positive thing and Marxists believe it a negative one. Functionalism fails to recognise social change, contrasting to Marxism which recognises and aspires to it. It is a conservative ideology which ignores the dysfunctions and assumes each institution is positive for society. Marxism, on the other hand, accepts conflict and the arising social problems.The perspective tries to understand how to overcome societies problems by looking back over history and study from past mistakes. Functionalists assume that everyone in society is in agreement and shares norms. It believes in the power of the institutions to socialise its members so well that deviance is rare. However, every society has deviants and so this statement is a little too confident. Functionalism shows us clearly the primacy of culture and socialisation via the social institution. Marxism underestimated the resiliency of Capitalism, for example, Americas tragedy on the 11th September 2001.