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Objectivity & Values In Sociology Research Can and should sociology be…
Objectivity & Values In Sociology Research
Can and should sociology be value-free?
What Are Values?
As human beings, we all have values - and that is the problem for sociology and sociologists.
Is it possible and desirable, for sociologists to bracket their values sufficiently in order to conduct objective research? (put them to one side and be objective when studying society).
Values are the general ideas we have in society , about what is good, bad, right, and wrong.
Values CAN and MUST be kept out of sociological research
Values CAN be kept out!
They believe that sociological research should be based on
objective, scientific methods
, which ensure objectivity and therefore value freedom.
Positivists
try to uncover social facts.
Values MUST be kept out!
Positivists state that sociologists must uncover social facts and therefore there is no room for values in sociological research. (This can be done by using scientific methods).
This is the
Positivist View
. It is the approach taken by
Functionalists
.
It is impossible for research to be value-free
This is the
Realist View
.
Reasons why values cannot be excluded from research:
Sociological research should NOT be value-free
Conclusion
Only
Functionalists
, with their
positivist
stance, believe that is it possible to be completely objective.
Others, such as
Marxists
and
Interactionalists
ask why a research would want to be objective, as the purpose of research is to improve society.
Whether or not values can or should not be excluded form sociological research depends on the research's theoretical views.
Realists
however, claim that this is a moot point - it is not possible for any sociological research to be value-free!
Overview
Value-free = objective Value-laden = subjective
It is important that sociological research is not value-free
It is desirable, but impossible, for sociological research to be free of values
Values must be kept out of sociological research