Whose main concern was that sociology should study social facts external to people?

Whose main concern was that sociology should study social facts external to people?

• A. Karl Marx
• B. Auguste Comte
• C. Max Weber
• D. Emile Durkheim

Answer: (D)

The question tests the idea that sociology should study patterns and phenomena that exist outside and beyond individual choice. Durkheim argued that social facts—things like laws, institutions, norms, and collective beliefs—are real entities external to any one person and exert coercive influence over behavior. He insisted sociology must treat these facts as things to be studied scientifically, because they shape what people do even if individuals aren’t consciously choosing them. This emphasis on the external, constraining power of social facts is what sets his view apart. Karl Marx centers on how economic structures and class relations shape society; Auguste Comte helped establish sociology and focused on overarching laws of social order and progress; Max Weber highlighted how people’s meanings and interpretations drive social action. While all are foundational to sociology, the explicit focus on external social facts as the central object of study aligns best with Durkheim.

The question tests the idea that sociology should study patterns and phenomena that exist outside and beyond individual choice. Durkheim argued that social facts—things like laws, institutions, norms, and collective beliefs—are real entities external to any one person and exert coercive influence over behavior. He insisted sociology must treat these facts as things to be studied scientifically, because they shape what people do even if individuals aren’t consciously choosing them. This emphasis on the external, constraining power of social facts is what sets his view apart.

Karl Marx centers on how economic structures and class relations shape society; Auguste Comte helped establish sociology and focused on overarching laws of social order and progress; Max Weber highlighted how people’s meanings and interpretations drive social action. While all are foundational to sociology, the explicit focus on external social facts as the central object of study aligns best with Durkheim.