Essay On Social Order

Oder and predictability are important if society is to exist. Thus it is inherent that social order is maintained. This is referred to as a set of linked social structures, social institutions and social practices which conserve, maintain and enforce an orderly way of relating and behaving within society. If this is lacking in society then disorder and conflict will transpire. Throughout this essay, one will seek to explore the similar yet contrasting perspectives of the sociologists associated with this school of thought such as Hobbes, Durkheim, Marxist and Interactionist respectively. There are various views of how social order is created in society. The seventeenth -century philosopher, Thomas Hobbes wrote during and after the Civil war in England. Based on these observations he claimed that humans are naturally selfish and competitive. He said that the reason for this was because people were poor and wealth in a sense gives you status. As such it was very divisive because it created chaos and mayhem thereby threatening the stability of society. Since men were power hungry by nature, the best way to control their actions was to elect a group from those same men to come together and have a consensus about how society should be governed. Hobbes believed that by doing this, it will bring an end to all kinds of divisions, avoid the chaotic struggle against each other and anarchy. Overall, he is of the view that social order should be brought about by a more dictatorship approach in that a strong government is needed in order to restrain individuals’ selfish desires and avoid chaos in society. A different approach to the issue of social order is rooted in the works of Emile Durkheim (1893-1912). He believed that social order was best achieved through the collaboration of the various institutions in society. He noted the transition from a mechanical towards organic