Why emile durkhein is considered as the father of sociology?

Question

Why emile durkhein is considered as the father of sociology?

Answer 1

Well, sociology is accepted as a "science" and it is due to the works and determination of Emile Durkheim.

Durkheim was the first one to give sociology a scientific character, so it is one of the reasons why he's considered as the father of sociology.

PS: However it should be noted that the name of "sociology" as a discipline was first used by Auguste Comte, not Durkheim.

Answer 2

Durkheim was also one of the first theorists who tried to back up his ideas through empirical methods.

His theory on suicide was revolutionary because he tried to gather data about the rates of suicide amongst different groups in Europe.  His work did have some critical flaws, mainly the actual suicide rates.  

In the predominantly Catholic France, actual suicide rates may have been higher than reported because of the deeply entrenched religious belief that suicide was the ultimate sin.  

However, his ideas about the collective conscience, social regulation and anomie (a state of normlessness) are still very much relevant today.

Answer 3

I hope it's not a trick question, because that credit is generally given to Auguste Comte, but...

Emile Durkheim was the first theorist to clearly state that society has effects on people in and of itself (sui genereis) that is more than the sum of all the individuals in society.  Most people obey laws, not because some specific individual is forcing them to obey the law, but because generalized society will punish them if they do not.  Psychology largely deals with INDIVIDUAL influences over people, sociology deals with SOCIETAL influences over people. Before Durkheim, "society" was considered to be a sum of all of the individuals within a given society - Durkheim felt that society was a thing in and of itself, that was greater than the sum of the individual parts.