SOC222 Theories of Modernity: Durkheim on Sacred and Profane

This essay delves into Emile Durkheim's sociological analysis of religion, focusing on his concepts of the sacred and the profane. It explains how Durkheim viewed these as two distinct categories, with the sacred representing the ideal and collective consciousness, while the profane encompasses everyday experiences. The essay discusses the implications of this dichotomy, particularly in relation to secularism and the role of rationality versus collective belief. It further explores how Durkheim's understanding of religion differs from secular perspectives by emphasizing the importance of shared meanings and symbols within a community, using the example of totemic symbols to illustrate the distinction. The work references Durkheim's 'Elementary Forms of Religious Life' and other relevant sociological texts to support its analysis.

Running head: DURKHEIM SACRED AND PROFANE
DURKHEIM SACRED AND PROFANE
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The sacred and the profane are ‘two distinct classes’. Explain and discuss. What are the
implications of this? Is the profane simply cut off from any intercourse with the sacred?
Ans.) The term secularism refers to the absolute freedom from the religious belief and the
freedom to practise one’s religion without any fear. Secularism underscore on the principles that
the state should not interfere in the personal religious belief of a person. Secularism denotes that
reason guides an individual rather than the cultural beliefs intrinsic to a community and
therefore, reason becomes the cultural barrier. The institutions, beliefs and practises are
submitted to the rational belief of the worldly tribunal where the qualities of an individual are
evaluated on the standards of human rationality (Lukes 1985). It has been found that the rule of
reason enables in weighing the human action and emphasizes that it is human rationality take
should take precedence in the lives of the individual rather than conforming to cultural belief
related to God. Emile Durkheim, the functionalist sociologist studied primitive religion to
understand the collective consciousness that contributes in the functioning of the society. In the
Elementary Forms of Life Durkheim argued that in order to understand the advanced religions,
there is a need to intervene into the functioning of the religion (Durkheim and Swain 2008). It is
important to place each of the constituent elements of the modern religions through the analysis
of the way religion has progressed throughout the history. Durkheim was of the view that the
foundation of science of religions is not was not a conceptual possibility but concrete reality that
is based on the historical and ethnographic observations. The sacred denotes the ideal and
transcends the everyday existence. The scared represents the ideal that transcends the mundane
and the everyday existence, potentially dangerous, pernicious or awe-inspiring. The sacred refers

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to the religious beliefs, duties and the rites. The sacred is concerned with the notion of
auspiciousness that represents collective consciousness of the community that unities them
against all the odds (Hawkins 1994). An event, an object or an act attains the sacred status owing
to the symbolic value and the community’s perspective about the same. On the other hand, the
profane represents those ideas, practises and values that are associated with the everyday
commonness, familiarity and utility. The profane is believed to contaminate the sacred and
degenerate it. Profane is understood to be the denial, the subordination of the auspicious, or the
holy in some way or the other. The profane evokes negative attitudes and the emotions are
hedged by the strong taboos. Durkheim was of the opinion that sacred and profane are not two
distinct categories that are profoundly distinguished or are radically opposed to one another.
Sacred things that are distinguished and are protected by powerful interdictions and profane can
be defined as those that are according to the interdictions that need to remain at the distance from
the sacred counterparts. The sacred and the profane constitute the system of religion (Aron
2017). Durkheim’s interest in the sacred and profane pertaining to religion is concerned with
emphasizing on the meanings imbued by a community on events, occasions and objects as
auspicious and that si capable of evoking the collective consciousness of the community like the
totemic symbol. This is in contrast to the principle of secularism that is concerned with
rationality and would not believe in such meanings imbued. Durkheim’s understanding of
religion is quite different from the notion of secularism as it transcends beyond the realm of
rationality and emphasizes on the irrational that is capable in strengthening the community
(Hawkins 1994). For example, the totemic symbol represents auspiciousness for the community
and any assault on the totemic symbol would provoke the community to seek violence to protect

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their integrity. However, for a secular person, totemic symbol would not hold any value as it do
not subscribe to the human standards of rationality.

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References
Aron, R., 2017. Main currents in sociological thought: Montesquieu, comte, marx, tocqueville
and the sociologists and the revolution of 1848. Routledge.
Durkheim, E. and Swain, J.W., 2008. The elementary forms of the religious life. Courier
Corporation.
Hawkins, M., 1994. A Communitarian Defense of Liberalism: Emile Durkheim and
Contemporary Social Theory.
Lukes, S., 1985. Emile Durkheim, his life and work: a historical and critical study. Stanford
University Press.