Durkheim on Social Facts Essay

1) According to Durkheim, how do social facts exist outside of individual consciences? Why study them?
According to Durkheim, social facts play the crucial role in the life of individuals and the existing of human society. At the same time, he argued that they exist outside of individual consistencies because Durkheim stood on the ground that individuals are vulnerable to the impact of the society and social forces define the behavior of individuals. In other words, individuals are vulnerable to the impact of the social forces, which define the lifestyle, beliefs and views of people. Therefore, individuals cannot avoid the impact of their social environment and the social facts exist outside of individual consistencies. At the same time, Durkheim insisted on the study of individual consistencies because the interaction of individuals could affect social facts. Therefore, the interaction between individual consistencies could affect social facts, which define the life of each individuals. Hence, the mutual interaction between social facts and individual consistencies make them essential for studying.
2) According to Durkheim, give some examples of Social Facts not mentioned by Durkheim, which you encountered today. How are they Social Facts?
Today, it is still possible to trace new social facts that affect the life of individuals consistently. In this respect, it is possible to refer to the emerging virtual social networks, which keep progressing and involve more and more people. In actuality, social networks existing online affect the real life of people because they spend a considerable part of their life communicating with virtual community members and they develop new models of social relations, which match standards and norms established in social networks. In such a way, virtual social networks become new social facts that affect consistently the life of individuals and change conventional social relations, eliminating physical frontiers between people and creating new, virtual communities.
3) According to Durkheim, How are Social Facts “coercive”? Give some examples ones that you encountered today and how they are coercive. [there might be some overlap with question 2]
In fact, according to Durkheim, social facts are coercive for they affect consistently the life of people and individuals cannot avoid the impact of social facts. Individuals grow up in their social environment, where social facts are taken for granted and individuals cannot ignore them. In this respect, it is possible to refer to the case of virtual social networks again because today virtual social networks are a norm, whereas a couple of decades ago they did not even exist. In actuality, virtual social networks comprise an integral part of the life of contemporary people. Moreover, they have become coercive because the number of users or virtual community members grows rapidly, whereas in the future their number is likely to grow even more.
4) How are ideas felt in crowds examples of Social Facts?
Ideas are shaped by social facts, which individuals take for granted. Individuals cannot distinguish clearly social facts. Instead, they just perceive them as a norm and their ideas are formed under the impact of social facts.
5) How can Social Facts be studied if they’re not visible?
The study of social facts should focus on the analysis of social relations, traditions, biases and stereotypes existing in the society, social norms and standards, which define the life of people. Researchers should distinguish specific patters of social behavior, which are shaped under the impact of social facts and study social forces, which define the specific patterns of human behavior.
6) How is Durkheim’s approach to social facts employing the “positive” philosophy that August Comte endorses?
Durkheim’s approach focuses on the use of steady, basic, unchangeable principles on the ground of which researchers can conduct their study. As a result, Durkheim’s approach uses Comte’s positivist philosophy. Durkheim stresses the importance of fundamental rules and standards in conducting sociological studies.