Capitalism at the Point of View of Functionalism

Capitalism at the point of view of functionalism

-An Analysis of Parsons’ Structural Functionalism Paradigms and Its Limits-

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I. introduction

II. Capitalism and Parsons’ Structural Functionalism

II-i. functionalism

II-ii. Parsons’ Structural Functionalism

III. conclusion

I. Introduction

The purpose of this essay is, even before the financial crisis really started, to discuss and argue about the decline of capitalism as a result of the Great Depression, the East Asian financial crisis, and so forth. First, I will explain about structural activism, analyze the ' conflicts ', ' instability ' and how society is stable in capitalism. It is also the purpose of this essay to analyze the limitations of this Functionalism paradigm.

II. Capitalism and functionalism

II-i. functionalism

Functionalism argues that 'societies must work together to create the stability of the whole society, and sociology must analyze their relations'. Functionalists, including Comte and Durkheim, have used 'organic analogies' that compare the functions of society to living organisms. They argue that parts of society move together for the sake of society as a whole, as are the various parts of the human body. To study body organs such as the heart, we need to show how the heart is related to other body organs. The heart plays an integral role in maintaining life as an organism by sending blood throughout the body. Likewise, functional analysis of social institutions such as law shows that it helps to smooth society.

Functionalism emphasizes the importance of moral consensus that maintains order and stability in society. Moral consensus is formed when the majority of people in a society share 'the same value'. Functionalists see order and balance as the normal state of society. This social balance can be maintained because there is moral consensus among members of society. Durkheim, for example, argued that religion allows people to share core social values and thereby contribute to maintaining social cohesion.

II-ii. Parsons ' Structural Functionalism

There are many scholars related to functionalism. In this essay I would like to explain capitalism, especially by introducing the concept of Parsons' action system.

Parsons argues that any system of action requires four requirements for its survival, maintenance, and development. This is Adaption, Goal attainment,