Classical Sociological Analysis

Think about what influences your decisions and influenced you to choose the path in life that you have chosen. How did you come down this path? With ease? Did you encounter obstacles? Think about your relationship with others – who and what do you depend on to be able to carry out tasks in your day-to-day life? Emile Durkheim, a classical Sociological theorist was concerned with these questions and the notion of social solidarity. Durkheim compared primitive and modern society inquiring into what brings a society together and what tears a society apart. He argues that individuality and interdependence were key factors separating the two (Allan, 2013, p. 135). Modern society, a society trending toward spontaneous division of labour, is characterized

Natural inequalities relate to differences in ability and skill. No two individuals are the same so inequalities must be present. Social inequalities are differences in social rank based on perceived value. Durkheim explains that natural and social inequalities are mutually dependent, saying “labour only divides up spontaneously if society is constituted in such a way that social inequalities express precisely natural inequalities” (Durkheim, 1984, p. 313). In order for spontaneous division of labour to be facilitated, Durkheim (1984) explains that social rank should reflect natural ability (p. 313), but Durkheim acknowledges there are cases where an individual’s role does not match their ability (Durkheim, 1984, p. 313) this is due to external inequality. An external inequality is anything that makes the playing field not fair in the sense that it limits an individual’s ability to compete fairly in aspects that would provide them with the opportunity to occupy a position in society that is reflective of their natural ability. External inequalities prevent the facilitation of spontaneous division of labour in

313). The cost of living in Canada is astronomical. Many Canadians earn below a living wage (Freeman). Canadians are provided a basic education where they are encouraged to pursue their unique interests through electives such as fine arts, industrial arts, and computer science. There are very few barriers in contemporary society that prevent an individual from pursuing their interests. Ideally this facilitates spontaneous division of labour in Canadian society. While spontaneous division of labour encourages us to pursue our individual interests for the good of society, doing this does not necessarily provide a sustainable wage. Some Canadians face barriers – they are told their unique skills will not earn a sustainable wage and they need to pursue other avenues. Not only does this run the risk of artificially boosting an individual into a social position that does not match their ability, it acts as a form of constraint. The individual experiences dissent and/or disharmony as they struggle to make ends meet in a role aligned with their social rank, or they are forced into pursuing a role they do not want. Issues stemming from constraint like economic security, cost of living and social assistance must be addressed. Canadians must be confident in their ability to afford basic necessities before this concept can be realized in our