Sociology & Science
Positivism
Desirable to apply logic and methods of natural sciences of natural science to solve social problems and achieve progress.
Natural world society is objective factual reality, factual patterns or regularities studied through observation
Sociologists discover laws and determine society by using research evidence, aim to product scientific to predict future
Positivists methods
Sociology take natural science experiment as model for research can test hypothesis in controlled way.
Use quantitative data to measure behaviour. Product statements about relationship between facts and discover laws of cause and effect
Give maximum objectively and detachment e.g. quantitative methods such as experiments and officials stats
Interpretivism
Do not believe sociology should adopt logic and methods of natural science, unsuited to study of humans. About people's internal meanings
Sociology cannot be science, science only deals with cause and effect and not meanings. Reject natural science
Subject of sociology & Interpretivist methods
Natural science studies matter reaction to external stimulus doesn't matter how we act. Sociology studies people who have choice make sense of meaning
Purpose of sociology to uncover meanings, we need to see the world from their point of view Weber calls Verstehen
versions of interpretivism
Interactionists- causal explanations through bottom up ideas emerge gradually from observation
Phenomenologists & ethnomethodogists- Reject causal explanations of human behaviour
Postmodernism and Feminism - Postmodernists science not the truth, science is no more valuable than anyone else, excludes other POV, women
Karl Popper: science grows
Rejects positivism theory based by gathering evidence. Science is of falsification capable of being disapproved.
Knowledge is provisional never can be absolute proof, must be open to criticism so it can be exposed and bettered
Implications for sociology- Sociology is unscientific theories cant be proved false. Sociology can produce hypothesis, may become valuable may become more testable.
Thomas Kuhn Scientific paradigms