Marx thought that capitalism’s focus on profit resulted in humans being treated like
machines. This transformed work from something meaningful to something
meaningless. It resulted in alienation, a situation in which workers were estranged
from their social worlds and felt that life was meaningless.
French social scientist Emile Durkheim was the first person to hold the title of
professor of education and sociology. Durkheim focused on what holds society
together. He distinguished two types of solidarity (cohesiveness).
Members of traditional societies are very similar to each other. They participate in
the same social life within the same culture and thus share almost identical values.
The society is small, the division of labor simple and the level of technology low.
Durkheim referred to this as mechanical solidarity. Industrial societies, on the
other hand, are large and have a complex division of labor. Members of these
societies come into contact with many strangers on a daily basis. While members
share some values, they disagree on many others. Due to their differences,
Durkheim pointed out, people in industrial societies are interdependent. They rely
on each other for specialized knowledge and skills. Durkheim termed this organic
solidarity. The word organic refers to the idea that each part in an industrial
society functions like a part of the body. Due to the interdependence of parts, an
injury to one part will affect all others.