Debate 2 - can and should sociology be value free?

Question 1

YES it can be value free - positivists
+ counter argument

Answer 1

Positivists believe that sociology can and should be value free - positivists should be objective and study society in the same way natural scientists do - Durkheim’s study of suicide used objective statistics to establish social facts.

However Durkheims values did influence his choice of topic so sociology can not be completely value free and the objectivity of official stats can be questioned

Question 2

YES it can be value free - some aspects + counter argument

Answer 2

Weber says some aspects can and should be value free (whereas others should not be) eg values should influence topic choice but data collection should remain as neutral as possible. eg Webers religious beliefs directly contributed to his study of calvinism

However critics argue complete neutrality is impossible as even the research question does and can create bias

Question 3

NO it can not be value free - interpretivists + counter argument

Answer 3

Interpretivists say we can not and should not conduct value free research as they are concerned with the meanings of human interactions
Doubtless was highly critical of Durkheims approach as he said rather than establishing social facts it is more important to establish the meaning of suicide which can only be established by subjective and value laden interpretations of things like suicide notes and interviews

however they should still try to minimise bias for mode reliable and valid findings

Question 4

NO it can not be value free - committed sociology + counter argument

Answer 4

Committed sociology says that sociology should not be free of values and is almost a third perspective of the debate where sociology should be committed and be used to challenge inequality and discrimination to represent the interests of the weak and challenge the powerful - Becker suggested traditionally sociology has been studied from the perspective of the overdog but should be studied from the underdog

However perhaps sociology should take a stronger stance by challenging inequalities and trying to get power for the powerless