Durkheim, Marx, and Weber Explanations of Traditional Societies and the Transition to a New Capitalist Social Order.
This paper will demonstrate that each of these thinkers has shifted the course of history some more dramatically than others and, at the very least, all have greatly contributed to the understanding of modern society. By looking at the broad views of each author in turn it will be clear that it is not really an issue of who has provided the better ideas; but rather, who provides the best or most convincing ideas from the perspective the analyst is looking at the situation from. In other words, selecting the most convincing theoretician of the three depends on where one stands. Unless we commit to being static and narrow-minded creatures, therefore, the conclusions drawn in this paper are not unquestionable. The objective here is to explore, not to chart the map. 12 pgs. 16 f/c. 7b.
