Values and Ethics

Values and Ethics

1. Value free sociology

   • Positivist sociologists who believe you should never let your personal thoughts, values, and opinions influence research or participants

2. Value laden sociology

   • Interpretivist sociologists who believe you should try to keep your personal values out of research but it is not always possible
   • Sociologists study people and are human themselves so it is difficult to keep opinions out of research

3. Committed Sociology

   • Becker & Gouldner
     • Famous debate took place between them in the 1970s
     • Both agreed that we should try to help people but disagreed on who we should study
   • Becker
     • Said sociology has always studied the really powerful (police, teachers, doctors) and now we should study the underdog
     • Criticism: Gouldner - argued police etc are not powerful but just follow orders from the government, which is who we should really study to help people in society
   • Marxism
     • We need to study the ruling-class to understand how they exploit working-class so we can help overthrow them
   • Left realism
     • Rather than waiting for the Marxist revolution we need to study social problems to help the less fortunate
   • Feminism
     • The overall aim of feminist research should be to help women and not solely for academic reliability
   • Ethics
     • Regardless of which view point sociologists fall into, all sociologists agree you must always remain ethical and not harm participants
       • Consent: Always get permission
       • Deception: Tell participants the true aim of the study
       • Damage: Never cause any physical or psychological harm
       • Rights: Respect the right to withdraw, privacy, and confidentiality