Here is the synopsis of our sample research paper on Action and Religion in Social Life
. Have the paper e-mailed to you 24/7/365.
Essay / Research Paper Abstract
This 11 page paper discusses action and religion in social life as seen by Durkheim, Freud, Weber and Marx. Bibliography lists 4 sources.
Page Count:
11 pages (~225 words per page)
File: D0_HVActReg.rtf
Buy This Term Paper »
Unformatted sample text from the term paper:
Organized religion is based on faith, not reason, so any action based on religion is in fact based on belief, not fact, and can therefore be irrational. This is one
of the reasons why it is vital to base society on the rule of law, not religion, and to keep the two separate. This problem has been addressed many times;
this paper considers how Marx, Durkheim, Freud and Weber evaluate the relationship between action and religion in social life. Emile Durkheim There is a great deal of material represented in
the writings of these four philosophers, and we cant hope to cover all of it. However, well start with Durkheim and his consideration of beliefs. He writes that the "totality
of beliefs and sentiments common to average members of the same society forms a particular system with a life of its own; one might call it the collective or common
consciousness" (Durkheim, p. 29). This system of beliefs is spread throughout all of society, but in a sense it is also independent of society, in that it is not
truly limited to the individual. When an individual leaves a particular society, that society remains intact, despite the individuals departure (Durkheim, p. 29). One of the results of this collective
consciousness is the way in which society defines crime. "We know that crime offends against widely-held, intense feelings; but it is believed that this pervasiveness and intensity spring from
the criminal nature of the act, which consequently still remains to be defined" (Durkheim, p. 30). Durkheim makes something of a leap when he then says, "It is not disputed
that every criminal act meets with universal disapproval" (Durkheim, p. 30). Clearly every criminal act is not universally condemned; for instance, we consider the attack of 9/11 a heinous attack
...