1.2.7
Sociology as a Science
Sociology as a Science
Sociology as a Science
Positivists argue that sociology is a science. Interpretivists believe sociology is not a science.
Positivism
Positivism
- Auguste Comte developed the theoretical perspective of positivism with regard to conducting research.
- Their belief was that society could be explained with scientific principles based on objectivity, reliability, and generalisation, which can be obtained from quantitative data.
- Positivists believe that you can acquire cause and effect relationships – when one thing occurs or changes it always provides the same result.
Induction
Induction
- Functionalist Emile Durkheim was particularly influenced by Comte and applied it to his sociological study on suicide.
- He used induction, which is the process where a researcher gathers a large sample of statistics, with the aim of finding trends and patterns that illustrate the impact of particular ‘social facts’ upon society.
The hypothetico deductive model
The hypothetico deductive model
- Durkheim used official statistics and the Hypothetico-Deductive model in his research.
- This is when a researcher starts with a hypothesis they wish to prove correct.
Interpretivism
Interpretivism
- Interpretivists believe that the study of human behaviour cannot be scientific as our nature is completely unreliable and our actions can have a variety of complex meanings.
Verstehen
Verstehen
- Interpretivists suggest that in order to get a valid understanding of the experiences of an individual, the researcher must try to understand them through abandoning the principles of objectivity by putting themselves in the place of the other – known as ‘Verstehen’.
Critical
Critical
- Interpretivists are critical of science as a discipline.
- From an interpretivist point of view, science lacks validity as a subject area and therefore sociology should distance itself from the discipline.
Postmodernism and Sociology
Postmodernism and Sociology
Positivists argue that sociology is a science. Interpretivists believe that sociology is not a science, as do postmodernists.
Postmodernists
Postmodernists
- Postmodernists would agree with interpretivists by arguing that sociology is not a science nor should it want to be.
- This is because science is a ‘meta-narrative’ or big story that tries to generalise every individual into a catch-all theory.
Jean-Francois Lyotard
Jean-Francois Lyotard
- Lyotard believes that any belief system that attempts to do this is irrelevant in today’s fragmented postmodern society as there is no accepted monopoly of the truth.
Karl Popper
Karl Popper
- Popper also argues that sociology is not a science.
- Popper’s views are very positive of science as a discipline as he believes that it has become dominant due to its rapid growth during and after the ‘Enlightenment’.
Verificationism
Verificationism
- Popper disagreed with positivist researchers as he believed that ‘Verificationism’ was irrelevant to science due to what he calls the ‘fallacy of induction’.
Falsification
Falsification
- Popper argued that a scientist will never set out to prove themselves and their theory correct, instead they set out to prove themselves incorrect.
- This is known as falsification.
- According to Popper the longer a theory stands without being proven incorrect the more accurate it is.
1Theory & Methods
1.1Sociological Theories
1.2Sociological Methods
2Education with Methods in Context
2.1Role & Function of the Education System
2.2Educational Achievement
2.3Relationships & Processes Within Schools
3Option 1: Culture & Identity
3.1Conceptions of Culture
3.2Identity & Socialisation
3.3Social Identity
3.4Production, Consumption & Globalisation
4Option 1: Families & Households
4.1Families & Households
4.2Changing Patterns
4.3The Symmetrical Family
4.4Children & Childhood
5Option 1: Health
5.1Social Constructions
5.2Social Distribution of Healthcare
5.3Provision & Access to Healthcare
5.4Mental Health
6Option 1: Work, Poverty & Welfare
6.1Poverty & Wealth
7Option 2: Beliefs in Society
7.1Ideology, Science & Religion
7.2Religious Movements
7.3Society & Religion
8Option 2: Global Development
8.1Development, Underdevelopment & Global Inequality
8.2Globalisation & Global Organisations
8.3Aid, Trade, Industrialisation, Urbanisation
9Option 2: The Media
9.1Contemporary Media
9.2Media Representations
10Crime & Deviance
10.1Crime & Society
10.2Social Distribution of Crime
Jump to other topics
1Theory & Methods
1.1Sociological Theories
1.2Sociological Methods
2Education with Methods in Context
2.1Role & Function of the Education System
2.2Educational Achievement
2.3Relationships & Processes Within Schools
3Option 1: Culture & Identity
3.1Conceptions of Culture
3.2Identity & Socialisation
3.3Social Identity
3.4Production, Consumption & Globalisation
4Option 1: Families & Households
4.1Families & Households
4.2Changing Patterns
4.3The Symmetrical Family
4.4Children & Childhood
5Option 1: Health
5.1Social Constructions
5.2Social Distribution of Healthcare
5.3Provision & Access to Healthcare
5.4Mental Health
6Option 1: Work, Poverty & Welfare
6.1Poverty & Wealth
7Option 2: Beliefs in Society
7.1Ideology, Science & Religion
7.2Religious Movements
7.3Society & Religion
8Option 2: Global Development
8.1Development, Underdevelopment & Global Inequality
8.2Globalisation & Global Organisations
8.3Aid, Trade, Industrialisation, Urbanisation
9Option 2: The Media
9.1Contemporary Media
9.2Media Representations
10Crime & Deviance
10.1Crime & Society
10.2Social Distribution of Crime
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