The Importance of the Concept of Conscience-Collective in Emile Durkheim\u27s Thought: A Theoretical and Historical Analysis

One of the most important contributions to the discipline of sociology was Emile Durkheim\u27s theoretical discussion of the collective conscience. For Durkheim, it was the collective conscience—the common ways of defining the world, as well as the common moral bond between people—that provided the initial foundation for social solidarity. It was the glue that kept society organized and functioning. While Durkheim\u27s discussion of the collective conscience is a landmark contribution to sociology, it is clear that the idea of collective definitions and representations predates Durkheim. One of the purposes of this theoretical study is to demonstrate how indebted Durkheim\u27s thinking was to the thinking of the German philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer. Significant parallels are shown to exist between Schopenhauer\u27s notion of representation in The World as Will and Idea and Durkheim\u27s pivotal concept of common moral bond or conscience as discussed in The Division of Labor in Society. The thesis is concluded by tracing the importance of the collective conscience through the rest of Durkheim\u27s major works—Suicide, The Elementary Forms of Religious Life, and The Rules of Sociological Method. In each case, the link between Durkheim\u27s and Schopenhauer\u27s thinking is highlighted