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value freedom in sociology - Coggle Diagram
value freedom in sociology
value-free sociology
positivists believe in the importance of objectivity
A03
is this a value
A02
official statistics - suicide study
quantitative data is best
own values are irrelevant to research because science is concerned with matters of fact
'social facts' - are objective because they are untainted by personal opinion
value-laden sociology
the idea that values inevitably enter research
interpretivists
= sociology cannot be objective --> the choice of topic involves personal ideologies
weber
= values influence the selection of a research topic, making it relevant (values should not influence the process of gathering data)
funding
A02
sociologists working for British gov. usually have to sign an agreement that if the department does not like the ideas or findings, then it has the right to prevent publication
benefiting financially from certain outcomes
career trajectories
gouldner
= all sociologists have personal ambitions and goals
sociologists may want to further their career, this may influence their choice of topic
personal beliefs
A02
feminists are often drawn to subjects about gender inequality
gouldner
= all sociologists have values and beliefs, meaning they find certain areas of research more interesting than others
'committed sociology'
the idea that sociology should not be value free but should have some values guiding its research
liberal perspectives
= agree that sociology should be sympathetic to the disadvantaged (
becker
)
becker =
discuss the labelling theory, and takes the side of the 'underdog' in society
A03
gouldner
= disagrees, believes that the labelling theory ends up blaming the 'middle dogs', groups such as the police who actually have little power
with the use of qualitative methods to gain meaning (these values influence choice of research method)
becker
= argues that sociology is influenced by values and this drives sociologists to take sides
radical perspectives
= tend to focus on those in power, with an emphasis on social structures (
gouldner
)