Читать книгу Our Social World - Kathleen Odell Korgen - Страница 69

Throughout recorded history, humans have been curious about how and why society operates as it does. Long before the development of science, religion and philosophy influenced the way individuals thought about the world. Both approaches to understanding society had a strong moral tone. For example, Plato’s Republic, written around 400 BCE, outlines plans for an ideal state—complete with government, family, economic systems, class structure, and education—designed to achieve social justice. These philosophers’ opinions were derived from abstract reflection about how the social world should work, but they were not tested scientifically.

The first person on record to suggest a systematic approach to explain the social world was North African Islamic scholar Ibn Khaldun (1332–1406). Khaldun was particularly interested in understanding the feelings of solidarity that held tribal groups together during his day, a time of great conflict and wars (Alagha 2017; Alatas 2006). With this beginning came the rise of modern sociology.