Positivism

Question 1

What is positivism? Who uses it?

Answer 1

Scientific view, use logic and methods of natural science. Objective- empirical evidence.

Question 2

Compte

Answer 2

Era of enlightenment began approach

Question 3

Reality exists?

Answer 3

Outside and independently of human mind

Question 4

Nature?

Answer 4

Made up of objective, observable scientific facts; exist outside of our minds and are there no matter what

Question 5

Society is?

Answer 5

Objective, factual reality. Just like physical world- exists independently of individuals.

Question 6

Reality not random but…?

Answer 6

Patterned: they observe these patterns

Question 7

Durkheim

Answer 7

Real laws discoverable through induction- collecting data through observation and experiment. Testing a hypothesis

Question 8

Suicide- Durkheim

Answer 8

Believed if he could prove an individual thing like suicide had social causes, this would establish sociology as science. Quan data and official stats- Protestants vs catholics. Higher levels of integration in Catholicism and higher suicide in Protestants; thus establishing suicide not product of individual motives. BUT unreliable- suicide often not recorded as suicide for catholics- sin.