Professional Documents
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threading, attaching buttons, laundering, and packing clothesare subdivided into each
of the workers roles. With this, you will be able to produce more clothes compared to the
number of clothes a single tailor can produce.
In contrast to bureaucracys positive effect in the economy, it also has negative effects on
labor and on the workers. Those who are skilled and trained tailors will have less
significance in the society since their work can already be done by more people and even
of faster production and more quantity of products produced
In the latter part of the Sociological Imagination, discussed were the ignorance of the ordinary
people associated to the following terms in sociological theories:
Feudalism. This is the form of dominant social system that the Communism by Karl Marx
contradicts. In the Sociological Imagination, it was discussed that the society and history was
involved in this kind of social system because of the peoples heedlessness to the
interconnectedness of self, history and society.
Totalitarian societies. Totalitarian societies, as defined in the dictionary as a centralized
system of government that requires its citizens to be in obedience with all the policies without
the manner of questioning, is in contrast to Auguste Comtes Law of Three Stages. The Law
of Three Stages states that one makes use of his knowledge to question things as they are. The
most violated stage in this theory is the Metaphysical phase wherein people are required to
question authority and religion. Just by the manner of following the rules and regulations of a
totalitarian society, the Metaphysical phase is being violated. However, the Sociological
Imagination did not suggest its readers to implement Totalitarian societies. Instead, it just
mentioned that Totalitarian societies rose and fell at some points, still by the cause of the
individuals ignorance.
Two centuries after ascendancy. This statement in the Sociological Imagination inferred
the theory of Karl Marx- Proximity Breeds Contempt. The best example to this theory is the
political dynasty in a corrupt government. As more and more of a family is engaged in the
political business; and as more and more years are these politicians in their position, the larger
the possibility that they will corrupt or perform deviance in during their times. Not only is the
possibility that unethical behaviors will increase, but also the value and amount of money and
resources being stolen.
Capitalism. People believed that it is the only way to make the society an industrial
apparatus. The truth is, communism by Karl Marx can also be the way. A society of
equalitarian system will prevent people from practicing capitalism that exploit the workers. If
a society is also equalitarian, everyone will have no other options but to work for their
survival. By implementing a communism kind of government, the society will not only be
leading in industries but also in carrying out a fair equality among men.
Authority and violence become bureaucratic in form. Bureaucracy as we all know is the
exercise of control through knowledge, experience and expertise; and that authority is related
to bureaucracy but not violence. When we say authority and violence become bureaucratic in
form, it means that people in a particular society improperly use bureaucracy (organizing
large groups by implementing laws that everyone must follow) to exercise authority and
violence. For example, a companys newly-positioned CEO imposes a law that abuses the
workers rights, unallowable absences and day-offs. In order for the CEO to coercively let the
employees follow the law, he declares that whoever performs the violation of the said law will
be inflicted with a punishment of unemployment. Every employee will then prefer to obey the
laws, may they be unjust or just. Making use of the bureaucratic system, the employees will
fear violating the law. Therefore, employees will not fight for their rights because of the fear
of the punishment imposed.
Morally insensible, they try to live altogether as private individuals. This shows a
Gesellschaft kind of community. People live together as private individuals; therefore, they
dont have any relationship with each other that is concerned with feelings and established
moral connections. A Gesellschaft kind of community may result into capitalism since it is
only bonded by an ultimate goal, to earn and survive physically.
Going back to Sociological Imagination, the concept of Mills encourages us to:
Realize classic values that underlie the promise of our studies. To achieve the
promise of social science is to determine the relation of individuals to society,
history to society, and individuals to history. By achieving this, we will be able to
identify what affects the behavior, values, and ethics of individuals.
self to issues and troubles. Before addressing to these, one must first know how it is to be
an intellectual man. Mills set forth some guidelines on how to become intellectual; for
example, an intellectual man: must have a playful attitude with twisting words to get
meanings and deeper contexts, must be able to express his thoughts and ideas without
hesitation, and does not separate his life from work.
Mills also focused on the social problems in America, most especially alienation. Like
Marx, C. Wright Mills considered alienation as a part of the modern society, which is in
the confines of work. However, in contradiction to Marx, he does not refer alienation to
capitalism alone. He believes that alienation is more on the division of labor (Emile
Durkheim). Actions and behavior in response to these social mass problems depend on
the accepted principle of the society (Collective Consciousness by Emile Durkheim).
In order for a person to resolve his/her problems, he/she must have a larger view of
everything. He must consider his society. The wider the view, the more options and
alternatives are to be sought. The problem in this case is that people only become
eyewitnesses, but not attestors. The difference between an eyewitness and an attestor is that:
an eyewitness observes his environment but doesnt do anything about it while an attestor is a
witness who observes his environment and takes an action about what are to be improved and
what are not to be. The conflict perspective by Karl Marx is mirrored in an attestors point of
view because attestors try to look for something deeper and different about the society that he
has been used to.
Because of all the problems that the society is experiencing day by day, people tend to
lose their trust and belief in their political leaders capability to revise and rebuild the
government and its rotten system; resulting in people becoming apathetic. As people get
disinterested, their views towards morality also depreciates; therefore causing the people
to let their leaders perform unethical behavior because the citizens wont complain
anyway, and the worse, It becomes a society of spectators who are human witnesses to
nothing.
According to Max Weber, one(especially the ordinary people) must make use of verstehen to
look into the deeper meanings of actions. Only understanding and having insights will help us
become aware of everything around us. However, the more we become aware of our
environment, the more trapped we may seem to feel. This is in contradiction to the saying
The truth will set you free. Why would we feel trapped if we become aware of what is true
that sets us free? We feel more trapped upon digging the contents of truth because we realize
that were exposed to the obnoxious sides of reality, that there is a positive and a negative in
all aspects of life and of wonder. Why should we still look forward to awareness if it will
make us feel more trapped anyway? Well, we must still be in search of becoming aware of our
society because we are looking for ways on how to change this unpleasant reality into a
beautiful one.
Sociological imagination therefore encourages individual persons to take personal problems
with the consideration of society, history, biography and all the other fields that can affect a
society; to grasp the real cause on why difficulties are experienced, if these difficulties are
either issues or troubles and if these need attention in the society. Mills suggests that people
be avoiding apathy and start practicing rationalization process. It is not also preferred that
personal problems will be resolved through personal points of view but of a broader sense of
contemplation.
Therefore, Sociological Imagination is concerned mainly on impersonal and bureaucratic
kinds of administration so that conclusions and solutions to societal problems will be
easily taken forth without tolerating the individual perspective that has not enough basis.
It is the life-changing that Sociological Imagination bears if we try to use it in our
everyday lives.