The Summary and Comments on Sociology by A. Giddens

Giddens (1993, p. 9)

Giddens (1993, p. 9) uses three examples—love marriage and sexuality, health and illness, and crime and punishment—to explain what sociology is all about.

Love Marriage and Sexuality

First, “falling in love” is an experience that not all people have, as discussed under love marriage and sexuality. Another argument is that romantic love only became popular in the 18th and 19th centuries, and that “falling in love” has nothing to do with being married. Additionally, neither the link between romantic love and marriage nor romantic love itself can be seen as a unique aspect of human life but rather as a sociologically modified element.

Health and Illness

Second, social characteristics strongly influence an individual’s life expectancy and the chances of contracting chronic diseases.

Crime and Punishment

Finally, current humane attitude towards crime and punishment are as a result of changes in social settings and desires. The claim is supported by an example of a case involving public execution of someone who had planned an assassination attempt on the King of France in 1757. In the past centuries, there existed public torture and execution and chief executioners were celebrated in the society. The current state of punishment is due to the sociological influences in the world over a period of time. The humane punishment of crime resulted from the expansion of societies which rendered old method of making an example out offender outdated.

Comments

The argument of the non-existence of relationship between love and marriage contradicts most conclusions of a direct link between marriage and love as other sociologists have arrived at. The claim that romantic love made appearance two centuries ago to an extent lack evidence since early writings have themes of romantic love and intimate marriages. On health and illness, research point to individuals from affluent backgrounds being at high risk of contracting chronic diseases as opposed to those from backward societies. The reason for this is that non-affluent people live in simple environments with low risk. Finally, on crime and punishment, the evidence pointed out is in line with the current situation. However, more brutal and cruel executions still exist in certain countries, but such acts are not carried out in the public view.

Reference

Giddens, A. (1993). Sociology, 2nd rev., ed. Cambridge: Polity Press.