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Sociology Optional PYQ Solutions · Model answer

How do theories of Marx, Weber and Durkheim differ in understanding religion? Explain.

  • UPSC 2025
  • Religion and Society

The three classical thinkers agree that religion must be explained sociologically, not theologically. They differ on what religion does. For Karl Marx it masks and preserves class domination; for Émile Durkheim it expresses and sustains social unity; for Max Weber its ideas can redirect economic and social life.

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