of 'society'. This is not to suggest that sociology is not concerned with social conflict and social change too. However these concerns are essentially one's which derive from, and supplement, the major objective of understanding social order.When & How did Sociology begin?If we cast an eye back historically to the very beginnings of sociology we can note a number of important features associated with the 'birth' of the subject. Firstly it can be argued that sociology is a development of, as well as a reaction to, two significant events which occurred in 18th century Europe:The first of these events was 'The Enlightenment'. 'The Enlightenment' was a revolution in ideas. Briefly put, it had two centres in the European cities of Edinburgh in Scotland and Paris in France. Philosphers and social theorists of the period were seeking to change the way we understood humanity. They were seeking to overthrow the dogma of the Church and in particular of the clerics and to devise an alternative view of humanity based upon rational thinking and empirically based sciences.It is clear that some of these thinkers were what we might now judge to be 'sociologists', men like Adam Ferguson and Comte De Montequeiue; women such as Mary Wollstonecraft. But sociology proper was to arrive later.For the term 'sociology' is not coined until after the second great event of the 18th century; the French Revolution. For the French Revolution, had shaken not just France and the rest of Europe to its foundations, but North America too. The old absolutist Monarchies were either overthrown or seriously under threat as new classes appeared on the political stage and demanded democratic representation and citizens Rights. A new set of ideologies, of nationalism, appeared to force the pace of social change. 'Sociology' arrives in the wake of these two events. The term 'sociology' is coined by a man named Auguste De Comte. He is conventionally understood to be the first ...
