Emile Durkheim Paper On Religion

As I read Émile Durkheim’s classic piece, The Elementary Forms of Religious Life, I experienced a whirlwind of thoughts, expressing agreement, disagreement, and complete puzzlement over the details of his logic and conclusions. As far as my essay goes, I will attempt to put these thoughts in a neat, coherent order like the one mentioned above.

Emile Durkheim (1858-1917) was a French sociologist who strongly influenced the discipline of sociology. It was apparent to Durkheim that since the French Revolution, the nation had been wracked by conflict and moral crisis (Stones, 2008). At the individual level, rising suicide rates reflected a growing sense of malaise. Durkheim’s goal was to develop a sociology that would help France overcome this continuing moral crisis. By tracing the influences on Durkheim to his predecessor August Comte and the German scholars of experimental psychology, it is possible to understand how Durkheim came to the conclusion that society is greater than the individual, and how his idea of a collective

In William James’s The Varieties of Religious Experience: A Study in Human Nature and Émile Durkheim’s Elementary Forms of Religious life, the societal implications of religion are examined and analyzed. James and Durkheim possess fairly similar methodologies in their approaches to religion. Both scholars examine religious phenomena based on the experience on the participants. For both of them the “religious experience is the point of departure for formulating a theory of religion” (Joas). James refutes “medical materialism” (James, 19) and argues that it is the extreme cases of religious fervor where true religious experiences will be found and Durkheim introduces his theory on “collective effervescence” (Durkheim, 226) and the experiences

Now that I am able to draw a parallel with something I am familiar with, Greek organizations, I understand the importance behind religious rituals. Although it can be easy to question the practices as an outsider, I know first-hand what it feels like to be better connected with other members and the institution as a whole through participating in ritual. I now realize that although some aspects of ritual might seem to be extreme, individuals often come out on the other end with a greater sense of purpose and devotion. As individuals participate in ritual, group morale is often augmented; just like a baseball player’s confidence and enthusiasm might be improved through participating in a daily routine. Reading Gmelch and Sosis’s articles consecutively allowed me to better understand the common elements of a given ritual. Gmelch’s article helped me attribute a humanistic aspect to religious ritual, since I previously understood sports superstition at a deeper level. By combining an idea with which I was familiar with an idea I did not have extensive knowledge of, my understanding of both topics

Émile Durkheim’s The Elementary Forms of the Religious Life examines religion through a social viewpoint, while Claude Lévi-Strauss’s The Savage Mind compares modern and “primitive” thought. Although their topics of interest differ, both works similarly rely on science to explain their anthropologic theories. Science serves as a useful reference point, since it embodies modern mode of thinking with high objectivity. Therefore, these writers can expand on their analysis of other ways to perceive the world by comparing and contrasting with science. The relations created between science and organized human thought unravel how these anthropologists view science. Durkheim’s and Levi-Strauss’s allusions to science support their respective arguments about religion and mythical thought, while revealing anthropology’s general perspective of science.

Through his studies of their research Durkheim concludes that the most basic and foundational form of religion is Totemism. Totemism is where the society elects a totem (idle) which is usually an animal and makes it sacred. They believe that this animal will protect them. The recognize this totem and believe that it has some kind a special power or a force behind it. The totem really represents the tribe, because the totem is sacred the clan is sacred. So when they are worshiping the totem they are actually revering themselves as a community. The believe they are worshiping some other deity or spirt but are really worshiping the clan. This is actually how the clan secures the loyalty of their members. This analysis of totemism for Durkheim applies to all religion. So the function of religion is to provide as a sense of social bonding and belongingness in which strengths the society. Emile Durkheim found through his studies that society used religion as a way to survive and has since out grown it. Durkheim tried to discover why there was so many suicides from people moved from small town Catholic churched based to big impersonal cities (urbanization). He noticed that it was due to the feeling of disconnect that these individuals felt in this new society. So the society responded by creating schools and training you to work in factories. With the more specified jobs being invented to provided purpose and decrease the

Religion has been, and forever will be a part of culture and society. Karl Marx, Max Weber, and Emile Durkheim are the top three most important figures in sociology; and although each of them viewed religion differently, I strongly believe that they understood its power, and demonstrated its importance to people and societies. As such, I will utilize all three of these great minds, to demonstrate religion as an important and permanent part of culture and society.

In Durkheim’s The Elementary Forms of Religious Life, he asserts that by studying the totemic religions of the aboriginal societies of Australia, we can gain a greater understanding of religion in general. Through his research, he establishes the necessity of a totem as an expression of a society’s beliefs. Totems can be anything physically from an animal to a plant or inanimate object. In using totems in conjunction with rites and rituals, a kind of social cohesion is facilitated. The concept of god is the manifestation of the shared beliefs represented by the totem. However, in order for the beliefs or social rules to be effective they must be respected appropriately. The goal of this essay is to assess Durkheim’s theories regarding these concepts and explain his observation of totemic religion and its function.

Religion, as described by French Sociologist Émile Durkheim, connotes a “unified system of beliefs and practices, relative to sacred things” (Durkheim, 1965). The word ‘unified’ suggests religion plays the role of a peace keeper, presenting individuals with a shared sense of understanding through the rituals, as well as the belief in a higher power or God. Within a contemporary society, religion is arguably playing a different role to that which it played during the early 20th century, a time throughout which Durkheim’s sociological influence and research was prominent. Contemporary, postmodern societies are far more likely to use and exploit religion in a varying way, for many reasons - technological advances and media takeovers, not to

Throughout the course of our study, we have encountered many different working definitions of religion. The working definitions provided by Émile Durkheim, William James, and Paul Tillich, all neglect to holistically capture the observable, individual, and social effect religion delivers to an individual and his community. It was not until the end of the twentieth century, when Clifford Geertz and Gerald James Larson provided a working definition that associated religion with the concept of culture. Additionally, Geertz and Larson further developed the definition of religion to include cultural symbols. Moreover, defining religion with the ability to influence reasoning within a community of individuals. In the context of this class and

All great things in life start off with people whom we would never have guessed imaginable. Who would have thought the study of society would have amounted to anything or become a significant part of people's lives. In the late 1800s people had a very small mindset which involved not knowing or even caring about what the outside world was like. The people knew things occurred in their society, but they never knew why nor did they care to find out. The society was run by religion and they did not question it. A Frenchman came out with studies that showed societies were strong and could become things that people would have never imagined. He proved that within society there were numerous groups and he could pinpoint their behavior and roles

As defined by Durkheim, “a religion is a unified system of beliefs and practices relative to sacred things, that is to say, things set apart and forbidden---beliefs and practices, which unite into one single moral community called a Church…” (Durkheim, 1912/2004, 75). Religion in its totality is, but a spectrum in people’s lives that has prolonged itself to be the subject of study for various sociologists, including Durkheim. By studying religious systems and all they encompass allows for the analyzation of its sociological core that is “religion is eminently social” (Durkheim, 1912/2004, 73). This foundation is what Durkheim thrived to analyze through primitive factors to indicate how society’s members are impelled to associate this commonality of beliefs and practices in their daily lives through means of religious functions; how religion has a hold on society (Veugelers, November 14th, 2017). In our society, there is much diversity between everyone’s beliefs and attitudes, which in turn, is justified through the different religions superimposed within each community. This social classification by which the modern world is organized can be reasoned through the idealisms of Durkheim’s forms of religion that is categorized into two integrated domains: the sacred and the profane.

Religion could be described as a norm that every culture has. It is describing as human thought and actions, especially in term of beliefs and behaviors, stated by Jonathan Z. Smith (King2017). It has been said that religion primarily began in the 16th century where Europe had the greatest relationship with the diversity of God. However, having a relationship with God at that period of time required a person having to be a Christian monk monastery. As time passed, the development of culture was noticed in such a way that religion has evolved itself. One will say social evolution. E.B Taylor was an influential anthropologist born in a family of Quakers, which shows his distinction in writing in forms of traditional Christian faith and Roman Catholicism. His interest did not start with the principles of religion but the study of human culture, or social organization. He was also considered to be the “founder of culture.” Through the book called, “Primitive Culture”. Taylor was able to present the theory of animism. Fast forwarding to the 1920s, a well-known philosopher titled as the father of sociology, Emile Durkheim. Durkheim marginalizes the importance of society. A connection of social structures, relationships, and institution come to play with the human intellectual thoughts and behaviors. Durkheim’s scientific sociology was new at the time but having to consider the roots, which he was inspired by the reading of Taylor and Frazer that drove him more directly to the

Sociology is the study of how people react within their social group. When studying sociology you have to be able to research one a group of people or an individual on their behavior and what they think. That is exactly what Emile Durkheim did. Emile Durkheim was one of many French sociologist was interested in sociology and some philosophy. One of the biggest studied he conducted was why people committed suicide and what caused it. He had many other studies and believed that sociology plays a part of how we act in situations. Which he believed could play a part in why people do commit suicide.

Pioneer French sociologist Emile Durkheim was born on April 15, 1858 in Epinal, France. Coming from a family background whom were all “rabbis”, Durkheim was Jewish but decided to lead a secular life and ultimately led him along with his hard work to be admitted to École Normale Supérieure in 1879 (Carls). While attending the university, Durkheim studied Greek, Latin studies and philosophy with peers. Durkheim was unsatisfied with the course so rebelled because of his interest of “moral doctrines and scientific instruction” (Bancroft). This means that he was in search for a more social scientific outlook such as social ethics and sociology.