SOCIOLOGY - Émile Durkheim

Summary

Émile Durkheim's insights reveal the paradox of capitalism: while making societies wealthier, it also increases individual misery, as seen in rising suicide rates. His work 'Suicide' (1897) examines the mental distress caused by modernity, where traditional social structures are replaced by individual choice, leading to heightened responsibility and potential for failure. Durkheim identifies factors contributing to societal unhappiness, including the erosion of social norms and the decline of communal support systems like religion and the nation. His analysis calls for new forms of belonging and solidarity to balance individual freedom.

Takeaways

• 📚 Émile Durkheim was a French philosopher who studied the paradoxical effects of capitalism on individuals' well-being.
• 🏭 Durkheim observed the transformation of France from an agricultural society to an industrial economy and the rise in suicide rates as a result.
• 📈 His work 'Suicide,' published in 1897, revealed a correlation between industrialization, capitalism, and increased suicide rates.
• 🔍 Durkheim identified five factors contributing to unhappiness in modern societies, including the burden of individual choice and the judgment of failure.
• 💼 Capitalism raises expectations and stokes ambition, but also leads to envy and dissatisfaction due to the disparity between aspirations and reality.
• 😔 Durkheim noted the difficulty modern society has in acknowledging the inherent pain and sadness of life, often mistaking it for personal failure.
• 🏛 The undermining of social norms by capitalism has led to a lack of collective guidance and a sense of belonging in society.
• 🤔 Durkheim believed that the decline of religion and the absence of a communal aspect in modern life left a void in society's ability to provide solace.
• 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Despite the importance of family, Durkheim pointed out that modern families are not as stable or binding as they once were, impacting the sense of belonging.
• 🌐 He also discussed the idea of the nation as a potential source of belonging, but acknowledged its limitations in providing a collective identity in the modern era.
• 🛑 Durkheim's work challenges us to find new ways to foster belonging, balance freedom with solidarity, and develop ideologies that are more forgiving of our failures and setbacks.

Q & A

Who is Émile Durkheim and what is his significance in understanding modern capitalism?

Émile Durkheim was a French philosopher born in 1858. He is significant for his insights into the effects of capitalism on society, particularly how it can lead to increased wealth but also to heightened feelings of misery and suicide rates.

What was Durkheim's profession and how did it contribute to his observations on society?

Durkheim was a professor at the Sorbonne in Paris, a prestigious position that allowed him to observe and analyze the rapid transformation of France from a traditional agricultural society to an urban industrial economy.

What did Durkheim discover about suicide rates in relation to industrialization and capitalism?

Durkheim discovered that suicide rates increased with industrialization and the adoption of consumer capitalism. He noted that in his time, Britain had double the suicide rate of Italy, and Denmark, a richer and more advanced country, had four times the rate of the UK.

How does Durkheim's work 'Suicide' shed light on broader societal issues?

Durkheim's 'Suicide' uses the phenomenon of increasing suicide rates as a lens to examine the underlying unhappiness and despair in modern capitalist societies, indicating that suicide is the extreme manifestation of a widespread mental distress.

What are the five factors Durkheim identified as contributing to unhappiness in modern societies?

Durkheim identified five factors: 1) the shift from traditional roles to individual choice, 2) the burden of individual responsibility for failure, 3) the rise of envy and dissatisfaction due to perceived opportunities, 4) the undermining of social norms, and 5) the decline of religion as a source of community and consolation.

How does modern capitalism affect an individual's sense of identity and belonging?

Modern capitalism encourages individuals to make their own choices regarding jobs, religion, relationships, and social affiliations. While this offers freedom, it also places the burden of failure squarely on the individual, leading to a sense of isolation and a lack of belonging.

What role does advertising play in the dissatisfaction people feel under capitalism?

Advertising in capitalism stokes ambition by presenting limitless luxury and opportunities, which can lead to envy and dissatisfaction when individuals perceive that they are missing out on what is almost, but not quite, within their reach.

How does Durkheim view the societal response to grief and sorrow in modern times?

Durkheim believes that modern society often fails to acknowledge the inherent pain and sadness of life, treating grief and sorrow as signs of failure rather than as natural responses to the challenges of the human condition.

What impact has capitalism had on social norms and the sense of community?

Capitalism has undermined social norms, leading to more complex, anonymous, and diverse societies where collective answers to important life questions have become weaker. This has resulted in a reliance on individualism and a lack of societal guidance.

How does Durkheim view the potential of religion to address societal issues in modern capitalism?

Although Durkheim was an atheist, he recognized the importance of religion for its sense of community and consolation. He was concerned that capitalism has not provided a replacement for the social cohesion and support that religion once offered.

What challenges does Durkheim's work present for contemporary society?

Durkheim's work challenges contemporary society to find new ways of belonging, to alleviate the pressures on individuals, and to strike a balance between freedom and solidarity. It also calls for the creation of ideologies that are less harsh in their judgment of personal failures and setbacks.

Outlines

00:00

📚 Capitalism's Impact on Mental Well-being

Émile Durkheim, a French philosopher born in 1858, is highlighted for his insights into the paradoxical effects of capitalism. Despite increasing wealth, Durkheim observed a rise in suicide rates, which he linked to the psychological effects of modern economic systems. His seminal work, 'Suicide,' published in 1897, documents the correlation between industrialization and increased suicide rates. Durkheim identified five factors contributing to unhappiness in modern societies, including the individualization of identity and choice, the burden of personal failure, the stoking of envy by capitalism, the societal denial of life's inherent sadness, and the erosion of social norms. He critiqued the cheerful facade of capitalism and its tendency to pathologize natural human emotions like grief and sorrow.

05:01

🌐 The Search for Belonging in Modern Society

In the second paragraph, Durkheim's atheistic perspective is contrasted with his appreciation for the communal aspects of religion, which he saw as essential for social cohesion. He lamented the lack of a replacement for religion in modern capitalist societies, which fail to provide a sense of community or consolation. Science, while intellectually elegant, does not offer the same unifying experiences. The paragraph also discusses the historical potential of nationalism and the family as sources of belonging, but notes their current limitations. Durkheim is portrayed as a diagnostician of societal issues, emphasizing the pressures on individuals and the lack of communal support. The paragraph concludes by reflecting on the ongoing challenge of creating new forms of belonging, balancing freedom with solidarity, and developing ideologies that are more forgiving of personal failures.

Keywords

💡Émile Durkheim

Émile Durkheim was a French sociologist who is central to the discussion in the video. He is known for his study of social facts and the effects of modern society on individuals. The video uses his work to explore the paradox of capitalism making people richer but potentially more miserable, as he examined the impact of societal changes on mental health, notably in his book 'Suicide'.

💡Capitalism

Capitalism is an economic system based on private ownership of the means of production and the creation of goods and services for profit. The video discusses how capitalism, while productive and liberating, can also lead to increased suicide rates and a general sense of unhappiness and despair, as it places significant pressures on individuals and undermines traditional social norms.

💡Suicide

Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death and is highlighted in the video as a critical indicator of the mental distress caused by modern capitalism. Durkheim's work 'Suicide' is mentioned, showing the correlation between industrialization, capitalism, and rising suicide rates, which serves as a metaphor for the broader societal malaise.

💡Industrialization

Industrialization refers to the period of social and economic change where industry becomes the dominant form of production. The video script notes that suicide rates seem to increase with the advent of industrialization and the shift to a consumer capitalist economy, indicating a connection between societal transformation and mental health.

💡Individualism

Individualism is the social and political doctrine emphasizing the importance of the individual and their rights and freedoms over those of the group. The video explains how modern capitalism promotes individualism, leading to people making their own choices about jobs, religion, and relationships, which can result in a heightened sense of personal responsibility and failure.

💡Envy

Envy is a feeling of discontented or resentful longing aroused by someone else's possessions, qualities, or luck. The video script points out that in modern capitalist societies, envy can grow due to the ever-present advertising and the promise of limitless luxury, leading to dissatisfaction with one's own life despite its objective value.

💡Social Norms

Social norms are the unwritten rules that govern behavior in society. The video discusses how capitalism has eroded these norms, leading to a more complex, anonymous, and diverse society where collective answers to life's important questions have become weaker, leaving individuals to navigate these issues with less societal guidance.

💡Religion

Religion is a system of beliefs and practices often centered around the worship of deities. In the video, Durkheim is noted to have appreciated the communal aspects of religion, which could have been useful in repairing the social fabric frayed by capitalism. However, he also observed that religion has become less plausible in modern times, leaving a void in communal experiences and consolation.

💡Nation

The nation refers to a large group of people who share a common culture, history, or territory. The video mentions that the idea of the nation was once thought to be able to provide a sense of belonging and shared devotion, similar to that provided by religion, but it has not been able to fully take on this role in the modern era.

💡Family

Family is a fundamental social unit typically consisting of parents and their children. The video script notes that while families are invested in heavily, they are not as stable as once thought, and the ties between adult children and their parents are less binding, reducing the family's ability to provide a strong sense of belonging.

💡Belonging

Belonging is the state of being accepted and valued within a group. The video emphasizes the importance of a sense of belonging in providing individuals with a connection to something larger than themselves. It discusses how modern capitalism and societal changes have weakened traditional sources of belonging, such as religion, nation, and family.

Highlights

Émile Durkheim's philosophy helps understand the paradox of capitalism making us richer but often more miserable.

Durkheim was a professor at the Sorbonne in Paris before turning 40, witnessing France's rapid transformation.

Durkheim observed that capitalism's productivity and liberation came with a peculiar mental cost - increased suicide rates.

His seminal work 'Suicide', published in 1897, revealed the link between industrialization, consumer capitalism, and rising suicide rates.

Durkheim found Britain's suicide rate was double Italy's, and Denmark's was four times higher than Britain's during his time.

Suicide was seen as a window into the broader issue of unhappiness and despair in modern capitalist societies.

Durkheim identified five key factors contributing to unhappiness in modern societies.

In traditional societies, identities were predetermined by clan or class, reducing individual choice and blame.

Modern capitalism places the burden of choice and failure on individuals, intensifying self-blame.

Capitalism raises hopes and stokes ambition, but also increases the potential for envy and dissatisfaction.

Durkheim criticized the cheerful facade of capitalism, which fails to acknowledge life's inherent pain and sadness.

He noted the decline of social norms in modern societies, leading to a lack of collective guidance on important life decisions.

Durkheim, an atheist, recognized the community and consolation that religion offered, which capitalism has not replaced.

Science, despite its elegance, does not provide the same communal experiences as religion for societal cohesion.

The idea of the nation and family once offered a sense of belonging, but they have become less stable and cohesive in modern times.

Durkheim's work highlights the pressures modern economies place on individuals and the lack of communal support.

He grappled with creating new forms of belonging and balancing freedom with solidarity to alleviate individual pressures.

Durkheim's insights challenge us to develop ideologies that are kinder to ourselves in the face of failure and setbacks.

Transcripts

Émile Durkheim is the philosopher who can best help us to understand

why capitalism makes us richer and yet frequently more miserable.

He was born in 1858 in the little french town of Épinale near the German border.

Before he was forty, Durkheim was appointed to a powerful and prestigious position:

as a professor at the Sorbonne in Paris.

Durkheim lived through the immense, rapid transformation of France.

From a largely traditional agricultural society...

...to an urban industrial economy.

He could see that his country was getting richer;

that capitalism was extraordinarily productive

and, in certain ways, that it was also liberating.

But what particularly struck him and became the focus of his entire scholarly career,

was that the economic system was doing something very peculiar to people's minds.

It was, quite literally, driving them to suicide.

In ever increasing numbers.

This was the immense insight unveiled in Durkheim's most important work: Suicide, published in 1897.

The book chronicled the remarkable and tragic discovery

that suicide rates seem to shoot up once a nation has become industrialized

and consumer capitalism takes hold.

Durhkheim observed that the suicide rate of Britain of his day was double that of Italy

but in even richer and more advanced Denmark it was four times higher than in the UK.

Durkheim's focus on suicide was intended to shed light

on a more general level of unhappiness and dispair in society.

Suicide was the horrific tip of the iceberg of mental distress created by modern capitalism.

Across his career, Durkheim tried to explain why people had become so unhappy in modern societies,

and he isolated five crucial factors:

1-In traditional societies, people's identities are closely tied to belonging to a clan or a class.

Few choices are involved;

a person might be a baker, a lutheran or married to their second cousin without ever having made any self-conscious decisions for themselves.

They can just step into a place created for them by their family and the existing fabric of society.

But under modern capitalism,

it's the individual that now begins to choose everything: what job to take, what religion to follow, who to marry and where to belong.

If things go well, the individual takes all the credit.

But if things go badly, the individual is in crueler place than ever before

for it seemingly means that there is no one else to blame but they themselves.

Failure becomes a terrible judgement upon the individual.

This is the particular burden of life in modern capitalism.

Capitalism raises hopes: everyone, with effort, can become the boss.

Advertising stokes ambition, by showing us limitless luxury that we could, if we play our cards right, secure very soon.

The opportunities are said to be enormous, but so too are the possibilities for disappointment.

In modern capitalism, envy grows rife.

It is easy to become deeply dissatisfied with one's lot, not because it's objectively awful,

but because of tormenting thoughts about all that is almost, but not quite, within reach.

The cheery, boosterish side of capitalism attracted Durkheim's particular annoyance.

In his view, modern society struggled to admit life just is, often, quite painful and sad.

Our tendencies to grief and sorrow are made to look like signs of failure

rather than, as should be the case, a fair response to the arduous facts of human condition.

One of the complaints against traditional societies, strongly voiced in Romantic literature,

is that people need more freedom.

Rebellious types used to complain that there were far too many social norms.

Norms telling you what to wear, what you're supposed to do on Sunday afternoons, what parts of an arm is respectable for women to reveal.

Capitalism, following the earlier efforts of Romantic rebels, has relentlessly undermined social norms.

Countries have become more complex, more anonymous and more diverse.

People don't have so much in common with one another anymore,

the collective answers to even very important questions like

who should you marry or how should you bring up your children

have become weaker and less specific.

There's a lot of reliance on the phrase 'Whatever works for you',

which sounds friendly, but it also means that society doesn't much care what you do

and doesn't feel confident that it has good answers to the big questions of your life.

In upbeat moments, we like to think of ourselves as fully up to the task of reinventing life

and working everything out for ourselves.

But in reality, as Durkheim knew, we're often simply too tired, too busy, too uncertain

and then there's nowhere to turn.

Durkheim was himself an atheist, but he worried that religion has become implausible

just as its best side, its communal side, would've been most useful to repair the fraying social fabric.

Despite its factual errors in its fantastical dimensions, Durkheim appreciated religion.

He knew that the sense of community and consolation that religion offer are highly important to people.

Capitalism has, as yet, offered nothing to replace this with.

Science certainly doesn't offer the same opportunities for powerful shared experiences.

The periodic table might well possess a transcendent beauty and be a marvel of intellectual elegance,

but it can't draw a society together around it.

In the nineteenth century, it had looked at certain moments, as if the idea of the nation

might grow so powerful and intense that it could take up the sense of belonging and shared devotion

that had once been supplied by religion.

Admittedly, there were some heroic moments, but they generally didn't work out very well.

Family too seemed for a time to offer the experience of belonging that people seem to need.

But today, although we do indeed invest hugely in our families,

they're not as stable as we might hope

and by adulthood children are hardly tied to their parents anymore.

They don't expect to work alongside them, they don't expect their social circles to overlap

and they don't feel and they don't feel that their parent's honour is in their hands.

Today, neither family nor the nation are well placed to take up the task of giving us a larger sense of belonging,

of giving us the feeling we're part of something more valuable than ourselves.

Émile Durkheim was a master diagnostician of our ills.

He shows us that modern economies put tremendous pressures on individuals

and leave them dangerously bereft of authoritative guidance and communal solace.

We are all Durkheim's heirs and still have ahead of us the task that he grappled with.

How we can create new ways of belonging,

how we can take some of the pressure off individuals

and find a more correct balance between freedom and solidarity

and how to generate ideologies that will allow us not to be so tough on ourselves for our failures and our setbacks.