Hamish A. answered • 10/19/25
Experienced Philosopher Theologian Psychologist and other
Sociology grew and developed during the Industrial Revolution because that period completely changed the way people lived and worked. Life before was mostly rural, slow, and guided by traditions. Unexpectedly, cities grew, machines replaced hands, and people were uprooted from familiar ways of living. This upheaval made individuals ask deep questions: Why is society changing so fast? What holds us together now? Why do some prosper while others struggle?
Auguste Comte believed society could be studied like science, and that knowledge could restore order.
Karl Marx saw a darker side: he argued that industrial society created inequality and alienation, famously saying, “the worker becomes all the poorer the more wealth he produces.”
Émile Durkheim worried that fast change could leave people feeling lost, a state he called anomie. Max Weber warned that modern life, driven by rules and efficiency, could trap people in an “iron cage,” stripping life of meaning.
In all these perspectives, we see sociology as a mirror to the human condition — a tool to understand not just society, but ourselves. My argument is that sociology flourished during this time because humans needed a way to make sense of progress without losing connection, purpose, or dignity.
If society is always changing, can we ever truly understand what it means to live well together?
