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theory and methods - debate - is sociology a science - flashcards done -…
theory and methods - debate - is sociology a science - flashcards done
yes - positivism x
ARGUE THAT IT IS POSSIBLE AND DESIRABLE FOR SOCIOLOGY TO BE A SCIENCE x
associated with
Durkheim
, who argued, through his
comparative study of suicide
, that it is both possible and desirable for sociology to be a science
objectivity
- possible is carefully planned research takes place
assume that people's behaviour is
shaped by social forces
and is therefore
observable and measurable
it argues that sociology should use
quantitative methods
and data, which rely on
observable
(
empirical
= observable evidence from physical world) evidence, with an emphasis on
reliable
data
cause and effect relationships
should be established, making it possible to establish correlations between variables.
inductive logic x
is a type of reasoning about something that involves
moving from a set of specific facts to a general conclusion
it uses
premises
from objects that have been examined and experiments that have been conducted to establish a
conclusion about an object that has not been examined.
view on science x
Durkheim x
a scientific approach should be used in Sociology. This can
identify social facts
, repeatable and precise results using controlled methods. This would ensure Sociology is
value-free and objective.
social facts are
external forces
which make society's social structure and deeply affect
ideas and actions
. By studying them, we can create
causal relationships of society.
social facts like statistics on education and crime can be collected BUT feelings, emotions and motives of individuals
cannot be observed or measured, and therefore should not be studied.
Marx x
argues that the Capitalist Economic Structure
exists independently of individuals
, and it is very real and can be
observed and measured
. This means that we can gain a
scientific
insight into society.
main features
society (reality) exists
outside and independently of individuals.
society is also an
objective fact/ reality
that exists regardless of individuals. It is made up of o
bservable, measurable 'thing'
just like the natural environment.
Durkheim x
describes the positivist thinking well when he says that society is made up of
'social facts'
and it is the job of the Social Scientist to
discover real, measurable laws and patterns of society and behaviour.
Positivists argue that in order to explain the Social World, Sociologists, just like Scientists, must
apply Induction in order to apply Deductive Logic
to their studies.
individuals are governed by objective, external social facts - as a result they are
passive.
when patterns are found between social facts, theories can be formulated that
predict future behaviour
, e.g. we then have a 'General Law' of society. This theory is then
open to verification or refutation
study of suicide
using the
comparative method
he looked for
causal
relationships
Found higher rates of Suicide amongst Protestants compared to Catholics (across different countries). Concluded that Suicide on this
scale and consistency could not be the impact of individual motives
- it was levels of
integration
into and
regulation
by society that cause suicide.
no - interpretivist x
THE ARGUMENT THAT IT IS NOT POSSIBLE FOR SOCIOLOGY TO BE A SCIENCE x
this takes the view that humans are
not passive and have free will
, therefore
cannot be studied in the same way
that objects are; they are autonomous
people make decisions based on the way they
interpret
the world around them and the
meanings
that they attach to things - sociologists should aim to
uncover these meanings
.
Weber x
explores this approach in his classic study on Calvinism and the spirit of capitalism.
the focus of this view is on using
qualitative research methods
and data, ensuring that the data provides an honest reflection know as
validity
, as well as
verstehen
, seeing the world through the eyes of those being researched.
subjective v objective x
using
Weber's
perspective of
verstehen
requires
subjective
understanding which draws on people's
opinions and free will
to make decisions
meanings do exist
independently
to individuals - therefore, there can be
no laws of human society
science is strongly
objective
and does not allow opinion to influence reserach
for this reason, Interpretivists argue Sociology
cannot ever be a science
Goffman - dramatic analogy x
deals with
ideas
and not
material
conditions
sociology looks at the
unobservable
(consciousness and freewill)
science looks at the
observable
as a result,
sociology is not a science
and he argues that facts are a
social construction
based on how the consciousness observes the world
science as a social construction so not objective x
Knorr-Cetina x
continues
Kuhn's
argument that Scientific knowledge is
Socially Constructed
by highlighting that all knowledge is socially constructed as it
relies on the interpretation of people and the resources and instruments available
to them
laboratory settings are
artificial
and therefore are
far removed form the natural world
that scientists are supposedly studying
Woolgar - little green men x
no matter what they are faced with, Scientists must
ultimately interpret the 'thing'
that they are faced with
Douglas - an interpretivist approach to suicide x
in order to understand suicide the researcher must uncover it's
individual meaning to the individuals involved
rather than imposing a formulaic, objective 'Positivist' theory
Suicide stats are not objective facts but are social constructions
which only tell us about the
decisions of coroners to label
certain deaths suicide rather than objective fact.
Atkinson x
rejects stats as the
meanings of suicide can never be discovered
as the deceased have taken the meanings with them.
all we can do is
make sense of the living's interpretation
of the death.
is science really scientific x
kuhn - sits on the fence x
argues that normal science exists within a particular framework or view of the world which is know as a
paradigm
the paradigm that a scientist works within will shape the way they approach their research, the questions they might ask as well as
informing assumptions about the world around them
Argues that sociology is
'pre-paradigmatic'
as there are simply
too many competing ideas
to have a communal assumption about the world to make it a science
sociology is
founded on competing ideas and theories
, therefore it is
highly doubtful
whether sociology could even become a 'science'
to become a science, sociology needs a
dominant and agreed upon paradigm,
which new scientists can be
socialised
into which will
reinforce
the paradigm, until there is a
'Scientific Revolution'
due to the large number of anomalies
popper - yes could be x
argue that it is
possible for sociology to be a science
, provided that the
deductive method
is used
this means that once a scientists tests a hypothesis, it should be continued to be
tested and retested
if the results are clear and confined, then a
new law or social fact
can be created
this will occur once it
removes it's value-bias form it's theories
, but will remove a large proportion of sociology
rather than try to prove a social fact, research should attempt to
falsify
a fact to ensure its
reliability
and remain
objective
also pointed out that laws or facts
may not remain so over time.
Feminism
- very
Value-Laden
by definition
Marxism
- predicts a revolution this
cannot be falsified
. If there is a revolution Marx is right, if there isn't Marx is right. This makes it an
irrefutable pseudo-science
still values sociology
as it helps to formulate new ideas and theories to explore
Sociology has more untestable theories than science simply because it
hasn't been around as a disciple as long
Vs Durkheim
Durkheim
- social science based on
induction
and
verification
Popper
- social sciences based on
deduction
and
falsification
realists - sociology is a science x
overview x
acknowledge that although natural sciences are useful and their principles important, social sciences are also possible and desirable.
believe that it is possible to use
open systems to explain underlying social causes of human behaviour
Bhaskar x
science uncovers underlying structures and mechanisms
that influence society. Part of doing science is discovering what there are -
looking for the unobservable is therefore quite normal
example
physicists make all sorts of claims about black holes but have never been in one
Positivists are incorrect
- they assume that science looks at observable phenomena
Interpretevists are incorrect -
claim that sociology cannot be a science as it observes the unobservable, but SO DOES SCIENCE
Sayer x
argue that in science there are
'open' and 'closed' systems
. Open systems are where
not all variables can be controlled
, and predictions cannot be made, whereas closed systems refer to settings such as laboratories where
variables can controllable
.
sociologists is known to have both of these systems - such as field and lab experiments.
Keat and Urry x
sociology and science are
very similar
in that, within both disciplines, researchers
do not always have complete control over variables.
much of science is studied within an '
Open System
' where the researcher does not have full control over variables.
Predictions cannot always be made with 100% accuracy.
this is similar to Sociologists as researchers
cannot fully control the social world that they are studying
. As such they too cannot make 100% accurate predictions/
not all science is based on observable phenomena (gravity)
- this means that
Interpretivists are wrong
to suggest that the study of 'meanings', 'thoughts' and 'motivations' cannot be scientific
just because something is not 'observable' it's
effects generally are and therefore can be studied scientifically
postmodernists x
critical of science, claiming that large, overarching sets of answers are
no longer appropriate or desirable
within contemporary society.
they claim that there are
competing sets of truth rather than one
Lyotard x
all sets of knowledge are of equal value
there is
no longer a unifying truth that we all believe
. There are just a number of 'truths' or theories for us to
pick
from.
believe that because we can
pick
our 'truth' sociology
can't be value-free or objective
Bauman and Baudrillard x
science is simply a
meta-narrative
, and as such it is
no more valid than other belief systems
.
The postmodern approach suggests there are as many 'truths' as there are 'points of view' and as such it is
dangerous to allow science to have a monopoly over the 'truth'
feminists - critical of science x
Oakley x
argues that science has a tendency to be
malestream
- created by men for men
favours the development and use of a
'feminist methodology'
in which female researchers seek to
empower women
and do
not attempt to remain objective
Harding and Hart x
science is inadequate as it is 'Male-stream' and as such holds little value to women
what is science? x
definition x
it's a set of principle that tell us how to produce
valid knowledge
it aims to base laws and theories on
objective
facts gained through
observing
phenomena
popper x
'good science' is all about
building scientific knowledge
by gathering data from the sense otherwise know an
hypothetico-deductive reasoning.
- a hypothesis is formed and then tested against the evidence
the
inductive approach
is also used - theories are
developed on the basis of evidence
that has been collected
positivists
sociologists use this method a great deal
science is about what we
KNOW
to be true, not what we
BELIEVE
to be true.
features of science
hypothesis formation
falsification
the use of empirical evidence
replication
the accumulation of evidence
predicition
theory formation
scrutiny