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Theory and Methods - debate - Objectivity, subjectivity and values -…
Theory and Methods - debate - Objectivity, subjectivity and values - flashcards done
Positivists - sociology should be and can be value free x
the classical sociologists and values x
Comte and Durkheim x
a sociologist's job was to uncover the truth about how society workered and to improve life
sociologists would be able to say, with scientific certainty, what was best for society
Marx x
also saw himself as a scientist
he believed he had discovered the truth about society's future and the inevitability of classless society
all three x
believed in an
objective, fact based, and value free
sociology that could be used to inform social policy and improve society
Weber - value relevance x
agreed to a certain extent that value freedom is desirable in
certain parts of social research
but it's a bit more complicates.
4 significant differences
The social world is made up of an
'infinity of facts'
. The best we can do is to investigate those facts that
resonate with us.
What resonates with us is a product of our values
. Values are therefore
essential in guiding
what facts to reserach
We must be
unbiased in our data collection
and keep our values out of that process, though our
values shape our choice of research methods
clearly we are shaped by a values based
theoretical framework
but at this stage, we must be
objective
As researchers we are also
citizens of the world
, we are
not detached
from it, we must make sure that
our work is moral (morality=values)
values v facts x
Weber disagrees with the others, who argue that social facts will tell us what our values should be. In stead he
argues the opposite that fact's can't tell us what values to hold.
Fact
research shows that people who harm animals are likely to be psychopaths
values
there is nothing in this fact to compels us to test all humans to see if they are psychopaths so we can stop them from owning animals.
HOWEVER
- sociology an tell us
what means we should adopt
if we want to achieve certain goals that we value and the
consequences
of holding these values
Role of values in sociology x
society is made up of a meaningless 'infinity of facts'
- therefore researchers should choose facts to research.
we choose these facts based on our values, what we deem important. Therefore values are essential to help us choose which aspect of reality to study.
When collective facts
we must remain objective and unbiased, keeping values out. When testing findings against hypothesis, values must be kept out.
interpretation of data and conclusion
our values inform our choice or perspective, through which we interpret the data and draw conclusions. Must be open about our biases so others can judge to see if they have influenced conclusions
moral consequences
researchers should accept the moral implications of their findings.
Weber sees values as relevant to the sociologist in choosing what to research and in interpreting data, but values should be kept out of the fact gathering process
Value free sociology isn't possible - value laden x
20th C positivists
argued that their
own values were irrelevant to their research
because science is concerned with
matters of fact
, not value, so sociologists should remain
morally neutral
Gouldner x
by the 1950s, American sociologists in particular had become mere
'spiritless technicians
'
hiring
themselves out to organisations such as
government and the military
they were
dodging the moral issues that their work raised
researcher can often be
for career progression
for the sociologist. They will pick a topic to research that will get them
noticed in the sociological community.
Gomm x
'a value free Sociology is impossible ... the very idea is unsociological'
sociologists
react
to political, economic and social events - and
what is seen
as a political or social 'issue' is dependent on the power of different groups to
define and shape reality
-
to define what is worthy of research
Because powerful groups are able to control what is seen as important to research through the presentation of social' issues' -
it is equally important to look at what sociologists do not investigate as what they do
sociologists are
not immune to ideological hegemony
social research always has social and moral implications
therefore sociology inevitably has a
political nature
. If a sociologist attempts to
divorce themselves fro the consequences
of their research findings - it is simply an
evasion of responsibility
when a sociologist attempts to divorce themselves form their own values to be
scientific
, they are merely
adopting another set of values - not miraculously becoming 'value free'
what
positivists
call
value freedom
often involves an unwitting-commitment to the
values of the establishment
overview x
ideally, our personal values should not intrude into our sociological studies, but
in practice it is simply impossible to keep them out.
even the most rigorous attempts to scientifically study sociological topics are
compromised by the personal beliefs of researchers
or by a
desire to please the organisations
who are paying for research
three areas where sociology cannot be value free x
choice of subject or topic
this can be subject not only to the values of the researcher themselves but also by those in political power.
funding
the source of the funding to complete the research may come with ideological ties to the how and why the data is interpreted
methodology
the choice of the method can be influenced by the perspective stance that a researcher takes
Plummer x
argues our personal beliefs can never be removed from our conscience
we are often drawn to a topic as we have a desire to explore something important to us
argues this was a critical to his research as he investigated him own sexuality through the development of 'queer theory'
Value-commitment - sociology shouldn't be value-free x
overview x
sociology cant be value-free because sociologists are
human beings studying other human beings
sociologists understand the social world through
exploring the meanings and motivations of others
, using their own experiences and
verstehen
Becker x
it's impossible to study anything without using your personal and political beliefs to understand and judge it.
as a result, researchers need to
clearly state which side they're on
- we can
never avoid taking sides
because we have to understand what life is like from the
perspective of the actor
involved.
sociology should take the perspective of the underdog, we do not side with the 'overdog', we side with the oppressed, the stigmatised, the outsider - the 'underdog'
some sociological theories are clearly allied to a particular political leaning.
Marxism
conflict theory which sees capitalism as problematic for human happiness and fairness.
it is therefore left wing.
Feminism
conflict theory which sees patriarchy as problematic for women's happiness and fairness
it is therefore left wing.
Mydal x
sociologists should take sides
Like Weber
agrees that the
world is made up of infinite realities
but there is
still a right and wrong
. Spent more of his career advocating for the poor, developing and international welfare state and for fair global development that's a
VALUE he was committed to
value freedom is impossible
because of the sociologists
own values
and that of their
paymasters
we must be committed to our
enlightenment values
of social progress through the accumulation of data,
that is a value
Gouldner x
Neo-Marxist - addressing meaning is important but it is not enough
there are objective structures shaping how we feel about the other
we should use our research to Commit to put an end to capitalism.
we need to make sociology a political position to end oppression
Feminists x
feminists conduct their research entirely based on their
values and political opinions
.
they argue that sociology should be
driven by the desire to make society better
and should be used to
expose the injustice of patriarchy
Value-relativism - objectivity and postmodernism x
Lyotard x
it's not really about value freedom or value commitment as there are both based on
truth claims
that those are espousing them say are
objectively true
, simply attempts to make their
view of the truth the dominant one
, all knowledge is a
social construction.
because all knowledge is
relative to those individuals or groups who are making truth claims
, these is no way of knowing whether
one is more true than the other
.
other sociological theories are
meta-narratives
- big stories which hold different versions of the truth, no more true than another
everyone working within their
paradigms socially construct their truth claims
, despite claims of openness, particularly in science, social science and political ideology they are
self-referring closed belief systems
.
evaluation x
if all truth is socially constructed
why should we believe a word of what postmodernists say?
not every thing is a social construct
there is actually a
material world
out there to be accessed and understood, from which we can make
truth claims
. Sexism, poverty, racism, etc,
all exist and actually affect people
.
we can measure these facts
relativism
there is no independent way to judge if one view is more true than any other.