Objectivity and values in Sociology

Question 1

What is a question sociologists try to answer?

Answer 1

Can sociologists research be value-free?

Question 2

Who are early Positivists?

Answer 2

Comte and Durkheim

Question 3

What do they see sociology as?

Answer 3

The science of society

Question 4

What are sociologists able to find by discovering the truth of society?

Answer 4

Find out what is best for sociology objectively and with scientific certainty

Question 5

What does Marx argue that the role of sociology is?

Answer 5

Reveal the truth of the development of human society through different types of class-based society

Question 6

What does Weber argue?

Answer 6

We cannot derive value judgement from facts

Question 7

According to Weber, what do social facts not tell us?

Answer 7

How society should work- in order to understand society we need to develop verstehen

Question 8

What do we need in order to understand society?

Answer 8

Subjective, value-laden opinions, thoughts and emotions of people

Question 9

What four stages can Weber’s views of values be divided into?

Answer 9

1. Values are a guide to research- help us to select what aspects of reality to study
2. Data collection and hypothesis testing-Be as objective and unbiased when collecting facts as possible
3. Interpretation of data- understand our theoretical framework through which we interpret social facts
4. Sociologists as citizens- moral duty to be responsible for any harm their research causes

Question 10

What does value-freedom refer to?

Answer 10

The ability of researchers to keep their own personal biases and opinions out of the research

Question 11

Why do modern positivists argue that their own values are irrelevant to research?

Answer 11

Desire to appear scientific i.e. sociologists should remain morally neutral in order to establish the truth about people’s behaviour

Question 12

What does Gouldner argue?

Answer 12

The social position of sociology
-By leaving their own values behind, sociologists made a ‘gentleman’s promise’ i.e. promised they wouldn’t rock the boat by criticising their paymasters

Question 13

What do committed sociologists argue?

Answer 13

It is not possible or desirable for sociologists to keep their values out of research

Question 14

What do Mydral and Gouldner argue about value-free sociology?

Answer 14

It is:
1. Impossible- either the sociologists own values, or the paymasters, will appear in their research
2. Undesirable- without values, sociologists are merely selling their own services

Question 15

What question does Becker ask?

Answer 15

‘Whose side are we on?’

Question 16

Whose viewpoint does Becker argue sociologists should support?

Answer 16

The ‘underdog’ e.g. criminals in order to reveal a previously ‘hidden’ side of society

Question 17

What does the emphasis on identifying and emphasising with the powerless link to?

Answer 17

Favour qualitative research methods e.g. unstructured interviews

Question 18

Who criticises Becker?

Answer 18

Gouldner- it is a romantic approach by only being concerned with those ‘on their backs’

Question 19

What should sociology do instead?

Answer 19

Unmask the ways that the powerful maintain their position, supporting those ‘fighting back’ against the ruling class

Question 20

Who are funding sources for sociological research?

Answer 20

Government departments, businesses and voluntary organisations

Question 21

What influence does the funding body often have?

Answer 21

Dictates the direction of the research

Question 22

What pressure may sociologists experience?

Answer 22

The pressure to submit research regardless of its quality

Question 23

What values do different perspectives embody?

Answer 23

1. Feminists= society is based on gender-inequality
2. Functionalism= society is harmonious- value-consensus
3. Marxists= conflict between the ruling and the working-class

Question 24

What do these value influence?

Answer 24

The topics that different types of sociologists study, as well as what conclusions they draw

Question 25

What does relativism argue?

Answer 25

Different groups, cultures and individuals have different views as to what’s true- therefore there is no objectuve truth

Question 26

What do postmodernists reject?

Answer 26

The idea that any one account of the social world is superior- any perspective that claims to have the truth= meta-narrative

Question 27

What is a criticism of relativism?

Answer 27

Self-defeating- why should we believe what postmodernists argue- aren’t they also a meta-narrative?