CB: Marx pretty much invented scientific sociology and political science.
Tahir: This remark needs either a lot of evidence or a lot of qualification.
_Capital_ is the first or one of the first uses of data as used in sociology and poli sci.
Tahir: Well that's the difference between us. I don't think it does that at all. Which of these thinkers do you think took their lead from Capital: Comte, Durkheim, Weber, Parsons ... ?
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CB: Name a lot of scientific sociologists and political scientists before Marx .
chris hurl, a member of this list, and evidently a sociology major or graduate student says
I was taught right from the very beginning that sociology had three founders that roughly coincided with three different schools: 1. Durkheim - Structural-Functionalist 2. Weber - Symbolic Interactionist 3. Marx - Conflict
As you know, Tahir, Marx is older than both Durkheim and Weber. So, there is some evidence for you.
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If you look in most basic sociology texts, they claim Marx as a founder.
Tahir: Not the ones I've seen.
Charles: Ok . I put "sociology textbook" in a google search. At http://www.oup.co.uk/isbn/0-19-878102-4#contents I found the following ( Do you want me to send you ten more ?)
Contents Part I 1. What is Sociology? Why Study Sociology? Individual and Social Behaviour What is Society? Is Sociology a Science? Summary Points 2. Theories and Theorizing Pioneers of Social Theory Social development and evolution Karl Marx Summary points The Classic Period of Sociology Emile Durkheim Max Weber Summary points Sociology Comes of Age Structural functionalist theories Interaction theories Conflict theories Summary points Recent Trends in Sociological Theory Feminist theories Post-modernism and theory Summary points Revision and Exercises Structural functionalist theories Interaction theories Conflict theories
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In the Marxist division of the disciplines , there is a basic divsion between natural history and history. All of what are termed in bourgeois academe "social sciences" fall under history.
Tahir: Charles, this is very confused indeed.
CB: Do I have to say it ?
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Tahir: Let me short circuit this a little, if somewhat flippantly: Marx did not propose a sociology, a political science, an anthropology, etc. etc. I hope we can at least agree on that.
CB: Tahir, have you noticed that that is what we are DISagreeing about on this thread ?
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Tahir: So what are their foundign concepts, how do they delimit themselves from one another and what basis in marxism (as you claim) do these founding concepts and delimitations have? I think if you investigate the matter you will find that the latter are not only foreign to marxism but antithetical to it.
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CB: I don't know if you are just being .... or what, but the point is that the subject matters that have the names you list in bourgeois countries are included in the subject matter of disciplines that have some different names in academic systems based on Marxism. If you want the founding concepts of Marxist anthropology ( called ethnography maybe in the Soviet Union) take a look at _Grundisse_ section on precapitalist formations and Engels _The Origin of the Family, Private Property and the State_. As to political science , read _The Manifesto of the Communist Party_. As to sociology, read Engels on the English working class, _Capital_, Here's a link to the statement of purpose of the Marxist section in sociology http://csf.colorado.edu/psn/marxist-sociology/sms.html