Sociological Theorists and Their Ideas
A few minutes past noon, I walked into my company’s cafeteria and waited for some minutes for my lunch to be served. I was in a bit of a hurry because I needed to be back in the office in the next thirty minutes. As I sat there quietly, people walked in and out of the cafeteria. Among those people, I noticed two familiar faces of two of my favourite sociological theorists, Karl Marx, and Georg Simmel.
I had come to know a lot about the two theorists through my sociology class because my professor seemed to have a special interest in their theories. For this reason, I knew them and their theories very well. Marx and Simmel settled for the table next to mine. I could not help but hear their conversation, which mostly revolved around their theories. The two were neatly dressed, one in a black suit while the other wore a denim trouser and a white shirt. They both seemed to be very deep in the conversation that they could not realize that some people like me were overhearing their conversation. Since I am a fan of Marx and Simmel, I was very much interested in what they were saying; hence I followed through their discussion.
‘Marx, what do you think about economic alienation in today’s society? To me, I find it interesting that modern society greatly shapes the way people comprehend, recognize, and react to the world and one another.’
‘I completely understand what you are saying, and my view has always been that capitalism has contributed a lot to the inequality that exists today.’
‘You can agree with me that economic alienation is a result of the rise of modernity. I believe that the progression of modernity results in an increase in economic alienation.’
‘My friend, Simmel, look around you, across the streets, and in our homes. Do you notice the alienation we are both talking about?’
‘Yes, the streets alone tell enough story about the inequalities that continue to increase as a result of modernity. The homeless and people in the street denote a problem that keeps growing every day. I, however, believe that alienation largely inborn to the human condition, hence it will always exist.’
‘I agree with you, Simmel. Nonetheless, I believe in the prosperity of communism due to social uprising, and I trust that it can be used to eradicate the feelings of isolation. Capitalism only encourages unhealthy competition and rivalry, hence the increase of inequalities in society.’
‘Marx, don’t you believe that there is a need to focus more on tapping the social realities from the continuing social practices that we see in our modern society.’
‘No, I do not believe so because I think we should be more concerned with restoring how social life is coordinated and designed by modifying the advancement of societal social practices.’
‘That is a great way to view the issues, Marx. I believe that we still have time to look more deeply into the issue to see if we can come up with a common solution. Would you like to collaborate with me on this, and possibly we write a book together on the research?’
‘Wow, I like that idea Simmel. I believe that revolt is the only way that society can undertake to eliminate the inequalities that alienate us. I suggest we hold a second meeting and discuss on the way forward regarding this project.’
‘Definitely, brother, we need to make society understand the vices we face today and ways to eliminate them for a better tomorrow.’
At this point, I finished taking my lunch and had to rush back to the office for an afternoon meeting.