objectivity and values Flashcards
who were the classical thinkers?
Comte, Durkheim, Marx and Weber
what was the job of sociology according to the early positivists’ view?
sociology’s job was to discover the truth about how society works, uncovering the laws that govern its proper functioning. social problems could be solved and human life improved.
what was is the role of sociologists crucial?
scientific sociology would reveal the one correct society
what way are Marx’s views are similar to those of Comte and Durkheim?
he takes for granted the value of the ideal communist society & argues that his scientific approach will show us how to reach it. he is similar in that he sees science as helping to ‘deliver’ the good society
what was the distinction made by Weber between value judgements and facts?
he argues that we cannot derive the one from the other, for e.g. research might show that divorces are more likely to commit suicide, but this fact does not demonstrate the truth of the value judgment that we should make divorce harder to obtain
what does Weber say about values as a guide to research?
‘meaningless infinity’ we can only select (which facts to study) in terms of what we regard as important based on our own values (value relevance to us). values are thus essentials in enabling us to select which aspects of reality to study & in developing concepts with which to understand these aspects
what does Weber say about data collection and hypothesis testing?
we must be as objective & unbiased as possible when we are actually collecting the facts, keeping our values & prejudices out of the process. don’t ask leading questions, once we have gathered the facts, we can use them to test a hypothesis
what does Weber say about values in the interpretation of data?
they become important again when we come to interpret the data we have collected, the facts need to be set in a theoretical framework = understand their significance & conclusions. influenced by our values must be explicit about them so others can see if their is unconscious bias
what does Weber say about values and the sociologist as a citizen?
conduct objective research & discover the facts weber rejects this scientists & sociologists are also human & must not dodge the moral & political issues their work raises by hiding behind words. they must take moral responsibility for the harm their research may do
what is meant by ‘committed sociology’?
the sociologist spells out the importance of their values to their research for e.g. marxists, interactionists and feminists
why do modern positivists say research should be morally neutral?
their job is simply to establish the truth about people’s behaviour, not to judge it
why is the idea that research should be morally neutral criticised?
this reflects a desire to make sociology respectable, science has high prestige, so mimicking its ways would raise the subjects status earn respectability
problem-makers vs problem-takers
problem-makers: who defined their own research problems
problem-takers: who hired themselves out to organisations such as business to take on and solve their problems for them
sociologist are no longer problem-makers but now problem-takers
what is the effect of sociologists leaving their own values behind?
according to Gouldner sociologists we’re making a ‘gentleman’s promise’ that they would not rock the boat by criticising their paymasters
what are Myrdal’s views on values in research?
sociologist should not only spell out their values they should also openly ‘take sides’ by espousing the values and interests of particular individuals or groups
why is value-free sociology impossible?
either sociologists values or those of their paymasters will be reflected in the work
why is value-free sociology undesirable?
without values to guide research sociologists are only selling their services to the highest bidder
whose side do positivists and functionalists take?
according to becker they take the viewpoint of powerful groups - police, psychiatrists etc
why should sociologists take the side of the underdog?
less is known about these groups & their story needs to be told in order to redress the balance. we can reveal a previously hidden side of social reality
what was Goffman’s example of how we
should study mental patients & how does this show his views?
to describe the situation of the mental patient faithfully, we have to take their side. we have to be biased in favour of the patient & against the psychiatrist
why do interactionalists favour qualitative methods?
they see it as revealing the meanings of these ‘outsiders’
what is Gouldner’s criticism of Becker?
for taking a romantic & sentimental approach, he accuses Becker of being only concerned with those who are ‘on their backs’ - the misunderstood, negatively labelled, exotic specimens of deviant behaviour
what should sociology be committed to doing?
ending their oppression by unmasking the ways in which the powerful maintain their position
why does sociologists’ work embody the values & interests of those who fund it?
often they control the direction it takes and the kinds of questions it asks - and fails to ask
