Sociology + Science

Sociology + Science

1. Positivists – methods of the natural sciences - will bring true and objective knowledge to help achieve progress.

   • Nature is made up of objective, observable and physical facts (rocks, stars etc) that are external to our minds and exist if we want them to or not
   • Society is an objective factual reality – made up of social facts which are independent of individuals
   • Reality is patterned – it is the job of science to observe, identify and measure these patterns systematically through experiments
   • In Durkheim’s words “real laws are discoverable” that will explain these patterns
     • Inductive reasoning – involves accumulating data through careful observation and measurement and begin to see general patterns when knowledge increases
       • Verificationism - the more we observe the patterns, we are able to claim we have discovered the truth
         • Help predict the future and guide policies
   • Quantitative data
     • Experimental methods used in natural scientists should be used to allow a hypothesis to be tested
       • Like natural scientists – measure patterns and produce precise statements + discover the laws of cause and effect that determine behaviour
   • Durkheim - show that even a highly individual act had social causes – establish sociology’s status as scientific discipline
     • Quantitative data from official statistics - found that there were patterns in suicide rates (rates for Protestants were higher than for Catholics – social facts caused by other social facts which determines their behaviour – integration + regulation (Catholics less likely to commit suicide – Catholicism better at integrating individuals)

2. Interpretivism

   • Scientific approach is inadequate and unsuited to study of human beings
     • Interpretivists argue that there is a fundamental difference between subject matter of natural sciences and sociology
       • Natural Science – studies matter (no consciousness) – behaviour explained as a straightforward reaction to external stimulus
         • Sociology – studies people (with consciousness) – construct world and attach meanings – internal to people’s minds – people have free will and can exercise choice
     • Mead – human beings interpret meaning of a stimulus and choose how to respond to it - Individuals are not puppets on a string and are not manipulated by external social facts but construct their social world through the meanings they give to it.

3. Verstehen + qualitative research • Reject the logic and methods of natural sciences • Reject the detachment and objectivity favoured by positivists • We must ourselves in the place of the actor – use of qualitative methods (participant observation, unstructured interviews and personal documents) • Richer and more personal data – high in validity – subjective understanding