Lec 5 : Religion and the Division of Labour in Society

Summary

In the fifth lecture of this course, the philosophical foundations of social research are explored, focusing on Émile Durkheim’s views on religion and the division of labor. Durkheim's analysis shifts from seeing religion as non-essential to fundamental in societal structures. He argues that religion is a social fact and a product of human activity, essential for societal cohesion through sacred symbols and rituals. The lecture also discusses the division of labor's impact on individualism and societal transformation in the modern industrial state. Durkheim critiques theories simplifying societal formation and outlines the cult of the individual as a new quasi-religious form emerging from democratic transitions. The session emphasizes modernity’s effects on societal institutions and anticipates upcoming discussions on Max Weber’s methodologies.

Highlights

• Durkheim argues that religion will consistently be part of societal life, being a product of human activity and not divine intervention. 🔄
• Religious rituals strengthen societal bonds, reassuring individuals of their social connections. 💫
• Modern industrial society brought about a shift toward individuality and autonomy, changing interpersonal and social dynamics. 🌆
• The rise of the ‘cult of the individual’ illustrates society's move towards recognizing individual rights and diversities. 🌈
• Durkheim contrasts the sacred and profane as core elements of religious life, impacting how societies view morality and social structures. 🌓

Key Takeaways

• Durkheim views religion as a social creation and essential to societal cohesion, equating it with collective energies and rituals. 🔍
• Religious symbols don’t inherently possess power; it's the society that infuses them with significance. 🌍
• The transition to modern industrial society intensified individual autonomy while transforming social institutions. 🏙️
• The ‘cult of the individual’ arises as society becomes more diverse and individualized, marking a shift from traditional religious practices. 🔄
• Modernity emphasizes rationality, science, and the protection of individual rights, reshaping societal structures and beliefs. 🔬

Overview

In this enlightening lecture from the NPTEL series by IIT Guwahati, we delve into the philosophical underpinnings of Durkheim's approach to social research, especially his thoughts on religion's role in society. Durkheim transitions from earlier beliefs that societies could be purely secular, to later views deeming religion as fundamental. This change highlights the importance of religion as a social construct necessary for societal stability and as a means through which societies express collective unity.

Durkheim's analysis provides a robust critique of simplistic interpretations of societal development. His division of labor theories elucidate how increased specialization and modern industrial progress shifted societal 'we' to more individualized 'I', thereby reshaping the way social institutions function. He illustrates the journey from uniform religious beliefs to a more individual-centric society, presenting the 'cult of the individual' as a new quasi-religious system that respects diversity and personal rights.

As societies grapple with modernity's changes, Durkheim sees a new form of religion emerging, focused on the individual rather than traditional practices. This lecture sets the stage for exploring modern social structures and the ongoing balance between scientific rationality and religious belief. It concludes with anticipation of the next week’s lectures, where Max Weber’s methodologies will be explored, promising further fascinating insights into the evolution of social sciences.

Chapters

• 00:00 - 01:00: Introduction and Overview The chapter begins with an opening greeting, accompanied by music, addressing all participants who have joined this massive open online course.
• 01:00 - 02:00: Review of Previous Lecture This chapter outlines the setting of the 'philosophical foundations of social research' course, identifying the lecture as the third in the second week and the fifth overall. The chapter aims to review material covered in the previous lectures, forming a bridge between past discussions and upcoming content.
• 02:00 - 06:00: Durkheim's View on Religion's Role in Society The chapter discusses Emile Durkheim's perspectives on religion's function in society. It revisits topics from the previous lecture, emphasizing Durkheim's ontological, epistemological, and methodological claims about religion. The focus is on understanding these claims and how they contribute to Durkheim's overall thesis on the role of religion in social contexts.
• 06:00 - 14:00: The Concept of Sacred and Profane The chapter titled 'The Concept of Sacred and Profane' explores various social facts and explains their unique and independent nature from specific phenomena. It delves into the sociology of knowledge by discussing collective representations, classification of knowledge, and the debate between cultural relativism and scientific truth. The lecture aims to distinguish between sacred and profane concepts in the context of social fact and collective consciousness.
• 14:00 - 23:00: The Role of Collective Effervescence in Religion This chapter explores Émile Durkheim's theories on religion and society, focusing on his concepts of collective effervescence and the division of labor. Specifically, it delves into 'The Elementary Forms of Religious Life' and Durkheim's methodology, including its implications for the organic analogy and functionality within social structures. The chapter references earlier discussions on 'The Rules of Sociological Method' and promises to revisit these foundational ideas.
• 23:00 - 33:00: Durkheim's Critique and Modern Context The chapter delves into Emile Durkheim's critical perspectives on religion and his broader sociological methodologies as outlined in his key works: 'The Elementary Forms of Religious Life' and 'The Division of Labour in Society.' It explores how Durkheim's understanding of religion evolved over his lifetime, influenced by his sociological explorations and observations. The chapter further attempts to connect Durkheim's critiques and theories to modern contexts and contemporary sociological discussions.
• 33:00 - 43:00: The Industrial Revolution and Individualism The Industrial Revolution and Individualism chapter discusses the transitional period where societies moved from traditional and religious frameworks to a more secular and individualistic society. It highlights that in the early writings of thinkers like Durkheim, there was an argument for societies to thrive without the cornerstone of religion, emphasizing human capability for self-organization through division of labor in industry. However, Durkheim's later reflections reveal a nuanced understanding of religion's enduring significance in grounding societal morale and cohesion despite the advancement towards secularism.
• 43:00 - 53:00: The Birth of the Modern Industrial State The chapter begins by discussing the significant elements of social life explored by Durkheim, particularly focusing on his work 'The Elementary Forms of Religious Life'. This work, which was penned later in Durkheim's career, delves into religion as an intrinsic part of the human condition. While much of the content addresses the themes and roles of religion within society, it underscores the broader relationship between societal development and religious belief systems. The analysis situates religion not merely as a cultural artifact but as a foundational component of social life that persists and evolves alongside human societies.
• 53:00 - 71:00: The Cult of the Individual This chapter explores the concept that religion, in some way or form, will always be an integral part of social life. The discussion highlights the idea that religion is a fundamental aspect of the human condition, consistent across different societies and eras. Durkheim's argument emphasizes religion's permanence and pervasive influence on social structures.
• 71:00 - 81:00: Conclusion and Recap of Durkheim's Theories Durkheim posits that religion serves as the foundation for all other social institutions, suggesting that most social structures in history have originated from religious practices and beliefs.
• 81:00 - 90:30: Preview of Next Lectures on Max Weber In this chapter, a discussion is made on Durkheim's unique analysis of religion, where he presents a provocative and insightful philosophy. Durkheim suggests that religion is a creation of human activity rather than a result of divine intervention.

Lec 5 : Religion and the Division of Labour in Society Transcription

• 00:00 - 00:30 [Music] hello everyone welcome to this massive open online
• 00:30 - 01:00 course on philosophical foundations of social research we are in the second week of the lecture i mean the third lecture of the second week last lecture of the second week and overall the fifth lecture of this course okay and what we have discussed in the
• 01:00 - 01:30 last lecture okay we have discussed emil durkheim's common sense and science social religion from the vantage points of of the kind of claims that durkin makes i mean the the ontological claim on the one hand and epistemological and methodological claim on the other i mean the the concerning the sweet
• 01:30 - 02:00 generous reality of social facts so generous means unique and independent of particular phenomenon okay and then we have discussed sociology of knowledge collective representations uh the classification of knowledge and cultural relativism versus scientific truth okay and in today's lecture
• 02:00 - 02:30 we are going to discuss the elementary forms of religious life and the division of labor in society of uh of durkheim and how they have significant implications for for uh for organic analogy and precursor to functionality uh so far as the methodology of durkheim is concerned okay we have already discussed the rules of sociological method in a way i we may come back to
• 02:30 - 03:00 the rules of sociological method while discussing durkheim's philosophy of religion i mean the elementary forms of religious life and the division of labour in society and so on okay in during during durkheim's life his his thinking about religion changed in different in in in
• 03:00 - 03:30 significant in important wage how early in his life when he was writing the division of labor in society he argued that human societies could exist on secular basis without religion but as time went on durkheim saw religion as a more
• 03:30 - 04:00 fundamental uh element of social life and by the time he started writing the elementary forms of religious life i mean elementary forms of religious life came much later in his life when durkin saw a religion as as a part of the human condition okay and while the content of religion
• 04:00 - 04:30 might be different from society to society over time religion will some form or another always be a part of social life the religion is is is a part of the human condition and religion is and will be always a part of social life durkheim also argues that religion is the most
• 04:30 - 05:00 fundamental social institution from which i mean i mean i mean religion durkim argues that that religion is the most fundamental social institution with almost all other social institutions at some point in human history being born from it for these reasons
• 05:00 - 05:30 durkin gave a special analysis to this phenomenon providing a philosophy of religion okay that is perhaps as provocative as it is rich with insights according to durkheim religion is a product of human activity and not divine intervention
• 05:30 - 06:00 that's why religion is also a social creation it is it is a by-product of human action okay and thus durkin treats religion as a sweet generous social fact that can be analyzed sociologically okay what is that this sweet generous thing i mean sweet generous is nothing but
• 06:00 - 06:30 a unique attribute of social fact of a particular phenomenon of a particular instance and so on okay durkin elaborates his his theory of religion at length and in detail in his most important work in the forms of religion in the elementary forms of religious life in the elementary forms of religious
• 06:30 - 07:00 life durkheim uses the ethnographic data that was available at the time particularly in french society and as a whole european society to focus his analysis on the most primitive religion that at the time was known the totemic religion totemic
• 07:00 - 07:30 totemic religion of australian aborigines this was done for simply methodological purposes since durkheim wished to study the simplest form of religion possible in which the essential elements of religious life would be easier to ascertain in a specific sense okay then durkheim
• 07:30 - 08:00 was trying to investigate the old question though in a new way of the origin of religion or the origin of religion it is it is important to note nevertheless uh that that that durkim was not searching for an absolute origin origin of religion or the radical instant where religion first came into being it was not durkin's
• 08:00 - 08:30 objective of his method to study religion rather rather he was trying to study religion for methodological purposes such an investigation would be impossible and prone to speculation in this metaphysical sense of origin religion like every other social institution begins snowfall rather as durkim suggest i mean he was trying
• 08:30 - 09:00 to investigate the social forces and causes which are always already present in a social milieu and that lead to the emergence of social i mean religious life and thought at different points of points in time under different conditions under different contexts durkheim's analysis is not of course without its detractors who
• 09:00 - 09:30 criticize among other things his methodology his interpretation of ethnographic data ethnography when i say it refers to the deep rooted field study participant observation and so on okay or his undermining of of traditional religion his critics however his adjacent that religion has an essentially social foundation as well as
• 09:30 - 10:00 other elements of his theory have been reaffirmed and reappropriated over the years by a number of different thinkers from right to left it is important to look at the starting point of durkheim's analysis of analysis that is his definition of religion in the elementary forms of religious life durkheim defined religion as a
• 10:00 - 10:30 unified system of beliefs and practices relative to sacred things that is to say things set apart and forbidden beliefs and practices which unite in one single moral community called the church and all those who adhere to them okay there are the three fundamental elements according to durkheim to every religion
• 10:30 - 11:00 one sacred objects two a set of beliefs and practices and three the existence of a moral community and out of these three perhaps the most important would be the the notion of the sacred objects for emil durkheim which is the point
• 11:00 - 11:30 around which any religious system revolves it is that which inspires it is it is this these i mean the sacred objects they inspire in uh great respect and administration on the part of society and which is set apart and and keeps believers at a distance okay durkheim
• 11:30 - 12:00 contrasts the sacred with the notion of of profan or that which desecrates the sacred and from which the sacred must be protected making the opposition between sacred and profane a central element of durkheim's theory okay this is important this the distinction between sacred and profane
• 12:00 - 12:30 how their the sacred and profane may constitute a binary at the same time there is a relationship between between sacred and profane which which durkim tried to forge that's why when durkheim tried to contest compare and contrast sacred with the notion of profane okay or that which desecrates the sacred and from which the sacred mist must be protected and the profane must be
• 12:30 - 13:00 discarded okay making the opposition between sacred and profane a central element of durkheim's theory with this definition durkim also puts an emphasis on the social element of religion social social element of religion this is
• 13:00 - 13:30 because religion also is based on certain social cultural foundations this is important because he spends a great deal of time while writing the elementary forms of religious life arguing against theorists like herbert spencer i mean organic analogy edward teller culture and or james fraser who locate the origin of religion in psychological phenomena such as dreams the animistic view of
• 13:30 - 14:00 spencer or natural phenomena such as storms the naturalistic view of of tyler or frazier and so on okay we have discussed naturally i mean in the context of positive vision and so on and when i say the psychological religion as a matter of psychological phenomenon okay in the works of spencer and so on okay durkheim argues
• 14:00 - 14:30 that such an interpretation of phenomena is socially learnt and could only be an effect of an already effect of an already established religion not its scotch and in this sense it is now time to examine how durkin believes a religion originates and operates according to durkheim a religion comes into bing
• 14:30 - 15:00 and and is legitimated through movements of what he calls collective affirmations what is this mean what does it mean collective affirmations according to durkheim refers to movements movements in social life when the group of individuals that make up a society comes
• 15:00 - 15:30 together in order to perform a religious ritual and during these movements the groups come together and communicate in in the same thought and participate in the in the same action serving to unify a group of individuals okay that's very important when individuals come into close contact with one another while
• 15:30 - 16:00 performing the same by by participating in the same action which serves to unique i mean i mean which serves to unify a group of individuals when individuals come into close contact with with one another and when they are assembled in such a fashion a certain electricity is created and released leading participants to a high degree of collective emotional
• 16:00 - 16:30 excitement or delirium this collectivity is collective solidarity uh or collective consciousness is very important in in durkheim's schema and this impersonal extra individual force which is a core element of religion transports the individuals into a new ideal real lifts them
• 16:30 - 17:00 up outside of themselves and makes them feel as if they are in contact with an extraordinary energy this this collective spirit the next step in the genesis of religion is the projecting of this collective energy onto an
• 17:00 - 17:30 collective spirit collective solidarity i mean assemblies of people in the performance of rituals onto an external symbol that's why when i refer to durkheim's next step in the genesis of religion is is the projecting of this collective energy collective spirit collective solidarity onto an external symbol as durkheim argues that society can only become
• 17:30 - 18:00 conscious of these forces circulating in the social world by its representations what kind of representations and collective representations these representations are always collective for for durkheim okay then society can only become conscious of these forces circulating in the in the world by representing them
• 18:00 - 18:30 somehow okay and the power of religion must therefore be objectified this this religion the power of religion must be objectified objectification okay and once the power of power of religion
• 18:30 - 19:00 is being objectified or somehow made visible and the ob and the object unto which this force is projected becomes sacred okay and this sacred object receives the collective force and is therefore infused with the power of of the community it is in this way that a society gains a
• 19:00 - 19:30 tangible idea or representation of itself ok while discussing these matters durkheim is careful to use the word sacred object to describe what is traditionally understood in the west in the western
• 19:30 - 20:00 essence as a god and this is because sacred objects can be very diverse and do not necessarily refer to supernatural deity for example god is a sacred object in almost all religious structures okay and such views on on religion allow durkheim to make the radical claim that a society's
• 20:00 - 20:30 sacred object this one this sacred object is nothing but the collective forces of the group sacred object is nothing but a collective force ah of the group transfigured religion is society worshiping itself and through religion individuals represent to themselves society
• 20:30 - 21:00 and their relationship to it with this durkheim lays bare the inner workings of of a society's symbolic network with with durkheim's rejection of the thing in itself that's a social fact okay he because he always treated social facts as things okay the meaning of of
• 21:00 - 21:30 the meaning and value that he attaches to these these social facts ah or or an object or or a thing are not intrinsic to it um but are to be found in that objects relationship to it okay i mean in other words in other words and or the status of an object is determined by the meaning that society attributes to it or by its
• 21:30 - 22:00 status as a as a collective representation importantly such analysis goes beyond what is strictly considered the religious realm since all socially derived meaning operates in the same way for instance a stamp as in the last lecture i gave you the the example of our national flag it carries certain meaning right
• 22:00 - 22:30 certain value it's a symbol and such symbols i mean it's a sign and these signs are not only not only symbolic but material in nature right that's why for for example a stamp a flag or the sport or football or any sports i mean okay are by themselves just a piece of paper or a piece of cloth or a group of patent individual sports
• 22:30 - 23:00 persons changing a leather ball they all have no value in themselves and derives their value from the sweet generous of collective forces that they represent and embody that's three generous that's a unique characteristic okay and the more important a society determines an object to be the more a group infuses an object
• 23:00 - 23:30 with prestige the more valuable it will be in the eyes of an individual and if these movements of if these movements of collective effervescence okay are the origin of religious feelings religious rituals must be repeated in order to reaffirm the collective unity of a society otherwise its existence will be at risk
• 23:30 - 24:00 and durkheim remarks that that if the societal forces central to the religious life of a society are not reanimated now okay they will be forgotten living individuals with no knowledge of the ties that exist between them and no concept of of the society to which they belong and and in this sense this is why religious ritual is necessary
• 24:00 - 24:30 for the continued existence of a society okay this is very important religion cannot exist through belief alone it periodically requires the reality of the force which are behind force behind the belief to be regenerated religious religion cannot stand the litmus test with changing times it cannot be based
• 24:30 - 25:00 on belief alone that belief also must be associated with some kind of material basis that's why as durkheim argues that that that religion cannot exist through belief alone it periodically needs the reality of the force behind the belief to be regenerated okay and this takes place through various ritual
• 25:00 - 25:30 various religious rituals in which collective beliefs are reaffirmed and the individual express individuals express their solidarity with the sacred object of society sacred object of society or with society itself okay that solidarity assemblies are people in the performance of rituals okay okay and in this sense in this case
• 25:30 - 26:00 it is real it is a religious ritual okay it may be an economic ritual it may be a political ritual it may be a cultural ritual and so on the and the form that the that the specific ritual takes ah can vary greatly from funerals to rendances to patriotic national holidays but its goal is always the same through these rituals society maintains its existence and integrates individuals
• 26:00 - 26:30 into the social fault exerting pressure on them to act and think alike while durkheim's analysis is of explicitly religious contexts it is important to note that the ritual interaction processes that that that durkheim describes takes place in different and less formal contexts as well
• 26:30 - 27:00 okay ritual processes can be considered a part of daily life and are instrumental in regulating group solidarities and interpersonal relationships okay when i say solidarity one is group solidarity okay and and and interpersonal relationships
• 27:00 - 27:30 okay that's why rich such such ritual processes okay can be considered a part of our daily life okay and are instrumental they must have an objective a goal you
• 27:30 - 28:00 know an aim okay in regulating group solidarities as well as interpersonal relationships in different social institutions and at different levels of formality when i say formality i do not mean being formal or informal not in that sense but they have some kind of structure i mean form from form we are using formal and formality and so on
• 28:00 - 28:30 of great significance to durkim's theory is his insistence on the reality of these religious phenomena as durkheim argues that these social forces that animate uh society's religious life are real and are really felt by its participants because these participants become active in in in participating in these
• 28:30 - 29:00 rituals while it is a mistake for an individual to believe that this power emanates directly from the sacred object or is somehow intrinsic to the sacred object behind the symbol of manifesting the force is a living and concrete reality and consequently all religions are true at least symbolically for they express a power
• 29:00 - 29:30 that does exist and the power of society religion religious belief and the religious experience cannot therefore be dismissed as mere fantasies or illusions because religion is based on certain social economic political and cultural foundations okay religion as a form of practice
• 29:30 - 30:00 which is found in the world of reality okay in this sense religion as a form of practice because religion has not come in vacuum religion also has has been has been created by human activity to meet different social economic political cultural needs okay if this is so
• 30:00 - 30:30 there are certain specialized categories within religion the way religion was questioned the way the dominance of church in western society was questioned the the way the dominance of religion has been questioned including in indian society indian economy indian culture indian polity okay this is also
• 30:30 - 31:00 one of the such interrogation is also one of the constituents of modernity okay modernity as a set of practices as an ideology as a set of beliefs has also guided much of our conceptualization of science how science has been theorized okay and from this such kind of specialization
• 31:00 - 31:30 okay we come to an important reflection of durkheim so far as modernity is concerned europe is concerned and more importantly division of labor in society's culture division of labor is nothing but division of labor is alternatively known as specializes okay the industrialization and urbanization of western europe ok
• 31:30 - 32:00 had great effects on society in a number of different ways one of the most important effects of such instance was the rise of individualism and the importance of the individual within western society which took place
• 32:00 - 32:30 on different levels altogether and with division of labor there was a specialization of tasks which gave the individual more freedom to develop their work and consequently specialization of task size and consequently individual autonomy when i say individual i mean
• 32:30 - 33:00 individual autonomy increased since the rest of the society was less and less capable of telling the individual how to do the work at the same time city life i mean urbanization was characterized by fewer and weaker intimate relationships and greater anonymity
• 33:00 - 33:30 which granted greater's personal freedoms as a result the individual felt in a real way less acted upon by society and there were fewer and fewer collective experiences shared by all members of the group and these changes in society hadn't had the effect of individuating the population and creating differences between individuals for example
• 33:30 - 34:00 religious moral doctrine which places emphasis on individual spirituality also had a role in in shaping these changes and influencing western individuality the creation of the individual in these ways perhaps is the defining characteristic of modernity when i say modernity i mean i refer to
• 34:00 - 34:30 questioning the dominance of church questioning the dominance of religion industrial revolution critical thinking rationality reasoning capacity and so on okay it is in this sense here that durkin's opposition to social contract theorists as well as the proponents of utilitarianism like herbert spencer who argue that society begins when individuals
• 34:30 - 35:00 come together to form form groups okay in many ways durkheim's book the division of labor in society is a refutation of such over simplified such oversimplification that society begins only when individuals come together to form groups society for for durkheim is a sweet generous issue generous i mean it is a unique
• 35:00 - 35:30 entity independent of of the individuals okay and and and his reflection on the division of labor in society strives to show that collective life is not born from the individual but rather that the individual is born out of the collective life okay then then as as herbert spencer agust count and others they were especially spencer when
• 35:30 - 36:00 they were mentioning that no it is the individuals who form the society or for the collective um but on the contrary what durkin mentions that no it is the collective which from which the individual is born it is the it is the society that that creates the individual the the increase in in dynamic density and the division of labor also had major impacts on on
• 36:00 - 36:30 economic social and political institutions for example in the medieval society there were well-defined social institutions in the realms of religions politics and educational sata institutions that were each distinct from rise in dynamic density and the division of labor which had major impacts on economic social and political institutions
• 36:30 - 37:00 okay the organization of the economic sector was especially important which which guilds developing into strong independent institutions that were at the heart of our social life okay and these institutions regulated prices and production and maintained good relations with members of the same craft okay and therein lies the significance of
• 37:00 - 37:30 birth of the modern industrial state okay and these institutions and structures of society ensured that individuals were integrated into the social fold properly promoting social solidarity in the 18th and 19th centuries however a large growth in population was coupled with a large demographic shift which was aided by technological
• 37:30 - 38:00 innovation such as the railroad now the the steamship i mean stream engine and various manufacturing techniques without the previous restrictions on mobility of our production capabilities cities grew i mean we encountered urbanization cities grew in size production of goods centralized and the economic and social equilibrium that existed in
• 38:00 - 38:30 in the medieval period was ruptured the ever greater mobility of of goods and people extended the reach of economic political and social institutions as a result the guild system disappeared and the regional trading interdependence gave way to international interdependence okay large-scale institutions in in
• 38:30 - 39:00 politics education shipping manufacturing arts banking and so forth that were free from regional limitations developed in cities and extended their influence to greater portions in society this is important when i say in essence durkheim is is describing the birth of modern industrial state okay i mean i mean
• 39:00 - 39:30 when when when these these institutions i mean economic social and political institutions emerged in the context of modernity okay they failed to examine the nature of the state itself they failed to locate the state to situate the state within the matrix of a class divided society they failed to to examine to situate the state
• 39:30 - 40:00 with or or they failed to examine the relationship of the state with various other contending social forces maybe women maybe blacks maybe dalits i mean various marginalized sections are marginalized communities okay marginalized sections of society that's why i said in essence durkim was describing the birth of the modern industrial state
• 40:00 - 40:30 the concentration of the population and the centralization of the means of production created an enormous shift in the way of life for large parts of european society it also changed the way that people related to one another okay that that from collective to to some kind of individual centric life
• 40:30 - 41:00 uh was envisioned was preferred that in in the modern industrial state with the emergence of modern industrial state okay it also changed the way that people related to one another the way life that corresponded to medieval society no longer corresponded to the way of life in the modern industrial world it was impossible for for new generations to live in the same wage as their predecessors and
• 41:00 - 41:30 european society witnessed awakening of all its previous traditions previously its but i mean previous traditions particularly its its religious traditions religious institutions and so on okay then then it it brings us to to the significant methodological implications for for the for the cult of the individual cult of the the individual
• 41:30 - 42:00 and the kind of uh political turbo that that door came watching according to durkim i mean durki maj writing i mean what when i say cult cult of the individual i mean durkin i'm trying to touch upon durkheim's later works namely the elementary forms as elementary forms of religious life
• 42:00 - 42:30 and so on how according to durkheim religion is part of the human condition and as long as humans are grouped in in collective life they will probably form a religion of some sort ok and europe could thus be characterized as in a state of transition out of the assad of religion a new religion would eventually emerge
• 42:30 - 43:00 and this new religion would form around the sacred object as you have already discussed sacred object as you have already discussed okay this this new religion would would now form around the sacred object of the human person as it is represented in the individual the only element common to all in a
• 43:00 - 43:30 society that is becoming more and more diverse and individualized appropriately durkim calls this new religion the cult of the individual okay but how does this religion begin okay what is its conception of individual how is an individual conceptualized and what kind of society or religion does the cult of the
• 43:30 - 44:00 individual create the cult of the individual begins like all religions according to durkheim with collective effervescence okay the first movements of which can be found in the democratic revolutions taking place in europe and elsewhere at the end of the 18th century and during the 19th century centuries i mean he was referring to him
• 44:00 - 44:30 was you know if you look at durkheim weber marx this they're great um they they have left behind the great philosophical foundations of social research i mean uh if you look at that they were byproducts of the industrial revolution of western europe as well as the french revolution of 1789 okay and and these movements uh i mean collective effervescence ah
• 44:30 - 45:00 the the first movements of which can be found in the democratic revolutions and durkheim identifies the french revolution of of 1789 as an example of such a religion of collective energy collective spirit and the concept of individual that these democratic revolutions were embracing follow strongly the line of thinking established during the enlightenment
• 45:00 - 45:30 it is based on a general idea of human dignity and does not lead to a narcissistic egoistical worship of the self okay as durkim argued the individualism individualism or importance of the individual within western society of the cult of the individual is is that of taunt and russo is it is what the in i mean it is what
• 45:30 - 46:00 it is what the declaration of the rights of man and this and of the citizen the document produced by revolutionaries during the french revolution attempted to codify more or less successfully the cult of the individual thus presupposes an autonomous individual endowed with rationality born both free and equal to all other individuals in these respects belief in this such such belief in this
• 46:00 - 46:30 abstract conception of individual creates the ideal around which the cult revolves and influences both the society's morality and its notion of truth then we go back to back to sacred profane truth falsity objectivity subjectivity science and ideology science and common sense science and religion and so on with this sacred object at its
• 46:30 - 47:00 core the cult of the individual also contains moral ideals to pursue and these moral ideals that define society include the ideals of equality freedom and justice the specific moral code that translates these ideals is built around the inalienable rights of the individual any decent disenfranchisement of an individual's
• 47:00 - 47:30 human rights or any violation of an individual's human dignity is considered sacrilege and is a moral offense of the highest order ok when when equality freedom and justice are not maintained okay they are not considered sacred they become profane this is very important and with with society becoming more diverse the respect tolerance and promotion of individual differences
• 47:30 - 48:00 become important social virtues it is by protecting the rights of the individual in this way somewhat paradoxically that society is best preserved modern democracy according to durkheim which encodes institutionalizes and protects the rights of the individual is the form of government whereby western societies best express their collective belief in the dignity of the individual and
• 48:00 - 48:30 rationality i mean in the context of cultural relativism versus scientific truth that we have already discussed that rationality is also a primary importance to this religion the cult of the individual okay hedge as a first dogma the autonomy of reason and as a first writer write free inquiry okay authority can and must be
• 48:30 - 49:00 rationally grounded in order for the critically rational individual to have respect for social institutions in line with the importance of rationality modern science provides the cosmology for the cult of the individual and scientific truths have come to be accepted by society as a whole and durkheim even says that modern society has faith in science in a way similar to how past societies had faith in
• 49:00 - 49:30 religion okay despite that most individuals do not participate in or fully understand the scientific experiments taking place the general population trusts scientific findings and accepts them as true and modern science of course as an advantage according to durkheim nevertheless in that unlike other religious cosmologies it avoids dogmatizing about reality and permits individuals to challenge scientific
• 49:30 - 50:00 theories through a rational inquiry fitting with the doctrine of the cult of the individual perfectly okay and in this sense durkheim tried to force the relationship between the individual on the one hand and our economic culture and polity on the other i mean society on the other and in this lecture then what we have discussed we have discussed durkheim's philosophy of religion
• 50:00 - 50:30 i mean through the works of philosophy of religion through the works through his the elementary forms of religious life and subsequently division of labor in society but of course this this the in the in today's lecture what we have this uh what we have discussed the way we have discussed division of labor in society and and and the elementary forms of religious life in the context of western modernity or european modernity
• 50:30 - 51:00 okay modern institutions okay then in this week what we have discussed emil durkheim's rules of sociological method influence of sciences on sociology whether and whether social sciences can have absolute objectivity or not social facts and the autonomy of knowledge and the necessity of science common sense and science science and ideology science and religion
• 51:00 - 51:30 within comparative social science frameworks and ah organic analogy of of spencer and how at times durkin tried to follow organic and analogy of spencer and at times he he gives nice rebuttal to spencer sufferage organic analogy and and the precursor to functionalism as we have already discussed how functionalism is nothing but reciprocity and complementarity of roles in the social division of labor
• 51:30 - 52:00 i mean specialization and so on okay and in we have we have completed five lectures of this course which which has 15 more lectures to follow in the next week i mean in the third week we will have two lectures okay uh in the third week we'll have two lectures it will constitute the first part of weberian model of
• 52:00 - 52:30 methods in social sciences now of weberian philosophical foundations of social research will start with however theoretical and methodological positions are a reconciliation between positivism on the one hand and neo-kantianism on the other i mean we'll discuss in the sixth lecture i mean the first lecture of the third week how weber's theoretical positions are
• 52:30 - 53:00 reconciliation between positive regime and neo-kantianism and in in the second lecture of the third week i mean in the seventh lecture we'll discuss the methodology of social sciences as propounded by maxwell and in and in the lectures to follow we'll discuss the second part of max weber i mean methodological individualism social action i mean direct understanding and indirect understanding of social action ideal types and so on but we have
• 53:00 - 53:30 completed the the the lectures of two weeks and in the third week we are going to discuss the first part of max weber on positive vision and neocontingency thank you
• 53:30 - 54:00 you