Is Classical Sociology Still Relevant Today free essay sample

Choose any one concept or argument developed within classical sociology. Critically evaluate the use made of this concept or argument by contemporary sociology in trying to understand a current social issue This essay looks at the argument taken from a classical sociologist called Weber, throughout this essay it explains rationalization and how it has become modernized using Ritzer to explain this by demonstrating his McDonaldization theory. The theory will be clarified by contemporary sociologists by looking at their strengths and weaknesses and how rationalization relates to a current social issue such as globalisation becoming such a problem in today’s society due to a wide population of fast food restaurants causing obesity to rise within today’s society. The term rationalization is referred to as the replacement of traditions, values and emotions as motivators for behaviour in society with rational calculated ones (H. Jurgen. 1985). One of Weber’s main intellectual concerns was understanding the process of rationalisation and disenchantment that he associated with the rise of capitalism. We will write a custom essay sample on Is Classical Sociology Still Relevant Today? or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Although Weber wanted to understand rationalisation he was extremely ambivalent towards it, he argued that it had many advantages such as freeing humans from traditional restrictive and illogical guidance although he also criticises it and argues that rationalisation dehumanises individuals, and identifies it as ‘cogs in the machine’ (Macionis. J 2012) He states that it takes away humans freedom trapping them in the bureaucratic iron cage of rationality and bureaucracy. Add more on rationalisation Ritzer uses the term McDonalization to refer to the general process of rationalisation. He states that the modern food consumptions explains the process of rationalisation and in traditional societies the food preparation was more laborious and technically efficient whereas in modern societies it is all about the speed and precision and maximising profits (Ritzer 2008). These strict ways of efficiency have been accomplished within fast food restaurants by having ‘drive through windows’, and by replacing complicated systems with more simpler ones, all of which help to gain profit. Max Weber used the bureaucracy to represent how the society changes over time whereas Ritzer sees fast food restaurants as a better way to describe how societies change and become more of a contemporary thought pattern. Ritzer understands McDonaldization as a process in which it is slowly taking over the world, he says it can be summarised by just one small quote â€Å"the principle of fast food restaurants are coming to dominate more and more sectors of the American society as well as the rest of the world† (Ritzer 2008). He states that the past, present and future of McDonalization has appeared from the iron cage to fast food restaurants which shows that rationalisation is still developing, the iron cage is a way to describe it in the past and McDonaldization helps to describe it in today’s society, rationalisation will continue to progress until other contemporary sociologist find different ways to define it. Although McDonaldization offers many advantages as it gives customers quick food at low prices it also has disadvantages just like the bureaucracy they both suffer from irrationality, like fast food restaurants a bureaucracy can be a ‘dehumanising’ place to work and be served by. Many things are developed by technical devises rather than the human hand (Wynyard 1998) McDonaldization is viewed to be one of the reasons behind obesity. This is due to people becoming more pressed for time and value that things that delivered quickly, although this is seen as a positive thing it actually has many negative effects on society, such as obesity. The time it takes to drive to McDonalds and order a fast food is much more time efficient then going to Asda, shopping, and then cleaning the dishes after. It is assumed that because people get a lot out of something in a little amount of time it means it is a good option, although it is not the greatest option as fast foods are causing more people to become obese as it is the easiest option. In today’s society people believe that getting ‘more for your money’ and ‘bigger is better’ is a good way to live however the public do not realise that everything they eat from fast food restaurants has calories, and how eating fast foods often causes health problems as well as putting on additional pound from over consumptions of fat. A national institutes of health cite 2005 studied a review that showed eating fast foods more than twice a week makes u gain 10pounds in 15 years, this leads to being verweight and then gradually obese. Once people become obese they may start to develop respiratory diseases, clogged arteries, gall bladder diseases arthritis and depression, all of which lead to causing the NHS money (Hammand 2011). In the US more than 300,000 deaths are caused because of obesity although fast food restaurants are not the only factor to cause this it is the main factor. Add more about social problem. Many sociologist critique against rationalisation some even go so far as to say it was rationalisation that lead to the Holocaust (Bauman 1985). Numerous sociologists that said they opposed rationalisation in the past would now call themselves radicals, they state that the critiques said about rationalisation are not towards all parts of rationalisation such as instrumental but they are towards their overextensions such as the parts that suppress difference, the criticisms are towards the type of rationalisation that lacks knowledge and freedom. Weber analysed one of the problems for rationalization, he began to understand its capacity and in doing so he thought he would help by freeing people and making activities more efficient producing a fairness into the sphere of life, this however disenchanted the modern world by undermining religion and traditions and making people anchorless with no basis for their own values and tradition (Du Gay 2000). Harbermas argues that rationalisation offers the best explanation for all the problems of a capitalist modernity, this is due to all the gaps that Weber left when describing rationalisation, he says that rationalisation lead to the idea of a ‘one dimensional society’ which was totally controlled by instrumental reason. Donald Levine also challenges what Weber says about the ‘simplistic’ view he questions how Weber assumed that rationalisation lead to the world becoming flattened and more homogenous. try find a definition) One of the criticisms for McDonaldization is how much the fast food models spend billions each year detailing the benefits of their systems. McDonalization is seen as a globalising as force that overwhelms the locals, it is seen to be extremely negative within society and understood to be destroying local differences, leading to more global homogeneity (Ritzer 2008) To conclude this essay it shows that rationalisation bring many problems within society, such as obesity these problems are partially caused from McDonldization and all the ast food restaurants that are developing causing issues in society as well as globalisation. There are many critiques towards rationalisation as it dehumanises people and makes people more like a machine.