is sociology as science? Flashcards
positivism - is soc a science ?
yes
patterns, laws and inductive reasoning - POSITIVISM
reality is not random but patterned and we can empirically observe these patterns - job of science to observe, identify and measure these patterns
inductive reasoning - involves accumulating data about the world through careful observations and measurement
verificationism - POSITIVISM
inductive reasoning claims to verify a theory this is known as verificationism
P’s seek to discover the cause of patterns and produce scientific laws about how society works - can be used to predict the future and guide social policy
verificationism ao2
physics explains an apple falling to the ground in terms of gravity
quantitative research - POSITIVISTS
they use experimental methods used in natural sciences because it allows the investigator to test hypothesis in a systematic and controlled way
why should data be detached and objective? - POSITIVISTS
should not let own subjective feelings, values or prejudices influence how they conduct research - researcher might ‘contaminate’ research
positivism and suicide
DURKEHEIM - quantitative data from official statistics - observed there was social patterns
e.g rates for protestants were higher than for Catholics
these patterns were the reuslt of social facts
social facts responsible for this were integration and regulation
demonstrates society has its own unique subject matter = social facts and these can be explained scientifically
INTERPRETIVISTS - why is sociology not a science
because science only deals with laws of cause and effect and not human meanings
MEAD - we have free will and exercise choice - we are not puppets we construct the social world through meaning that we give
verstehen - INTERPRETIVISTS
= empathetic understanding to grasp others meanings
use it to discover the meanings people give to their actions
how to interpretivists reject positivists
reject the idea that we should have a hypothesis as this risks imposing our own views on what’s important
- our ideas emerge from observations during research
interpretivism and suicide
Douglas
to understand suicide we must uncover its meanings for those involved
We should use qualitative data from cases to reveal the actor’s meanings
what is meant by science
a set of principles that tells us how to produce valid knowledge
something is scientific when it used empiricism
KUHN - paradigm
provides a basic framework of assumptions, principles, methods and techniques
a set of norms - it tells scientists how they ought to think and behave
does sociology have a paradigm
no , there’s not a set of norms in which the way society works
example of the family -
func = say it benefits all
fem = benefits men
Marx = benefits capitalism
what is the unique aspect of science - KUHN
puzzle solving - paradigm allows scientists to agree on the basis of their subject and continue to flesh out the paradigm with more detail
kuhn Ao3 - postmodernism
psotmods might argue a paradigm may not be desirable in sociology as it sounds like a metanarrative - a dominating view of what society is like
postmods reject this as it falsely claims to have special access to the truth
what does POPPER think the unique aspect of science is
falsification
Kuhn - implications for sociology
sociology is pre-paradigmatic and therefore pre-scientific as its divided into competing schools of thought
- it can only be a science when disagreements such as between func and Marx on whether society is based on consensus or conflict
POPPER - fallacy of induction
rejects positivists view that distinctive feature of science lies in inductive reasoning and verificationism
‘swan’ example - we can never prove a theory by simply producing more observations that support it
POPPER swan example
by observing a group of white swans we could make the generalisation that ‘all swans are white’ - you could verify this with many more white swans
a single observation of a black swan will destroy this theory - we can never prove a theory by producing more observstions to support it
POPPER - falsification
opposite of verificationism
a scientific statement is one that can be proved wrong by evidence
a good theory has 2 features:
falsifiable - stands up to attempts to disprove it
it is bold- makes big generalisations
POPPER - open society
to be falsifiable a theory must be open to criticism
science is a public activity so flaws can be exposed and better theories developed
poppers view
Much of sociology is unscientific. It consists of theories that cannot be proven to the extent that they are falsifiable.
but
sociology can be scientific because it’s capable of producing hypotheses that can be falsified
popper Ao3 - too strict
his focus on testability is too strict, as sociology deals with complex human behaviours and social issues that cannot always be reduced to simple, testable ideas
popper Ao3 - verificationism
science often relies on verification—building strong evidence through repeated observations—rather than only attempting to falsify theories
REALIST - open systems
those where the researcher cannot control and measure all the relevant variables
REALIST - closed systems
where the researcher can control and measure all the relevant variables and therefore make precise predictions
why do realists reject positivists view
positivist view = science is only concerned with observable phenomena
KEAT AND URRY - argue science often assumes the existence of unobservable structures
e.g. interior of the black hole
why do realists reject interpretivists
because they believe that because actors’ meanings are in their minds, they aren’t directly observable and cannot be studied scientifically
why do realists say sociology is scientific
regard marxism as scientific because it sees structures such as capitalism producing effects such as poverty
scientific when they interpret behaviour interns of actors’ meanings
see little difference between natural science and sociology
relaist AO3 - distinctions are vague
The distinction between open and closed systems can be vague, making it difficult to clearly define sociology as a science.
realist ao3 - open systems
Framing sociology as an open system recognizes the complexity of studying human behaviour while still emphasizing the field’s potential to produce meaningful and practical findings
