In order to help sociology move away from philosophy and to give it a clear and separate identity, Durkheim gave distinctive subject matter of sociology in form of social facts. Comment.

Emile Durkheim made a notable contribution to Sociology by giving it a distinctive subject matter through his concept of social fact.

Background :-

Alfred Marshal in 1876 commented that if sociology existed, economics would gladly come under its wings but unfortunately it does not exist.

Despite contributions of August Comte and Herbert Spencer, Sociology was yet to gain acceptance as a distinct field.

Durkheim rightly established the subject matter of sociology as the study of social facts and demonstrated its use through his study of suicide and Anomie thus establishing Sociology as a distinct branch.

Social facts are characterized as

• external
• constraint
• general

e.g: Religion, marriage, family

The cause of a social fact is a pre existing social fact and not individual fact.

Durkheim likened society to a flowing river. If a person jumps in the river -> river does not change course, person flows with the river direction.

Similarly society is pre existing. A person/individual adjusts himself to the society as per its existing norms.

Thus social facts are observable phenomenon independent of the individual and hence enable a scientific study of society. thus distinguishing sociology from Philosophy and Psychology.