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Which classical sociologists engaged seriously with ideas from natural science or ecology?

 I am tracing the roots of environmental and ecological sociology.It seems that some classical theorists already engaged with nature and biology.I want to understand who laid this groundwork and how.

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By Trisha Answered 4 months ago

 From my experience teaching classical theory, Marx and Durkheim stand out for their engagement with natural science ideas. I have seen Marx’s work inform later ecological critiques through his focus on metabolism between humans and nature. Durkheim, while different in approach, used biological and ecological analogies to explain social cohesion. I would recommend reading them not as environmental theorists, but as thinkers whose frameworks later inspired ecological sociology.

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