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Sociological Debates - Coggle Diagram
Sociological Debates
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Value Freedom
Positivists
- Argued that sociological research should be value free and come to objective conclusions.
. The researchers religious, political or philosophical beliefs are irrelevant to the findings
- Auguste Comte/ Durkheim
. Sociology can be scientific and impartial
. Research will give us our values not the research
- Karl Marx/ Friedrich Engels
. Sociology was scientific, could deliver truth and a better society
¬ Methods of dialectics
Interpretivists (Weber)
- Scientific facts and value judgements cannot be separated
. Functionalists uncritically accept official statistics because they want to maintain the status quo.
. Marxists want to see how lower classes are exploited to create a classless society.
- The researcher's personal values and understandings are vital to sociological research.
BUT
- Personal values should only enter the research process at specific times.
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Is Sociology a Science?
Yes
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Sociology is has been developed from an intellectual movement known as the enlightenment, which began in the 17th century and was discovered by Aguste Comte in 1830.
They wanted to move away from religious ideas like faith and superstition, and instead promoted Science and logic to understand the world and how to improve human happiness.
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By using methods in the natural sciences, we could eradicate social ills such as poverty, injustice and conflict.
No
- Interpretivists argue that sociology is not a science
. Humans are unpredictable and have free will so do not conform to social laws.
. Natural Sciences study phenomena with no consciousness (e.g. gravity, molecules), humans are conscious so will respond to stimuli in different ways.
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Karl Popper (1963)
- Scientists can never be 100% right
. No theory or finding is absolutely true
. Our understandings of the world changes based on falsification
¬ Good science should aim to prove an idea are wrong.
E.g. the theory 'all swans are white' is wrong as some swans are black.
E.g. most scientists thought the world was flat until later information proved this wrong.
- Sociology consists of theories that cannot be proved wrong
- Sociology is not objective,
. Positivists believe they can detach their personal feelings and opinions whilst researching
. Interpretivists argue that it is impossible for the researcher to separate themselves from those they study.
Weber - Verstchen - qualitative data is more valid as it allows the researcher to understand meanings.
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Social Policy
what is a social policy?
- Social policies refer to the plans and actins of state agencies.
. Laws introduced by the government attempting to deal with a social problem.
¬ The welfare state - poverty
¬ Schools - jobs
¬ Local councils - domestic ciolence/ child abuse
Social Problems Vs Sociological Problems
Worsley (1877)
- Social Problems
. Social behaviour which causes public fiction or misery
¬ E.g. Poverty, crime, divorce
. Can be solved by governments
- Sociological Problems
. A pattern or relationship which requires an explanation
¬ why do girls achieve more than boys?
¬ why are divorce rates increasing?
Factors affecting influence:
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Functionalism
- sociology is a science co can provide objective information to improve society.
- Society is based in a value consensus and government's reflect societies values.
. All social policies are good because they help institutions functions function efficiently.
. Social policies maintain social order as they reflect societies values
- Piecemeal social engineering - gradual change over time
Left Realism
- Townsend (1979): social policies should tackle issues of social inequality
. Sociologists should research social problems and outline how to eradicate them.
¬ E.g. more welfare spending/ investment
. Social policies should promote equality of opportunity
¬ Everyone should have an equal chance to succeed
. You must change capitalism over time
¬ Marxists/ Feminists
Marxism
- criticises the other two perspectives
. Functionalism
¬ social policies should change society now not over time
. Left Realism
¬ Issues of poverty and inequality should be tackled
BUT you cannot have equality under capitalism
- The economy is based on an elite owning the majority of wealth
Marxists believe social policy has three functions:
- Ideology and the welfare state
. Make the system look like it care for the poor when it does not
- Maintain the labour force
. NHS - cheap for employers, keeps workers healthy
- Prevent revolution/ change
. Stops the WC revolting against inequality.
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