Science and The Study of Society

Question 1

science and society - methods positivism copy

Answer 1

methods of natural sciences can be applied to the study of society

Question 2

science and society - positivism (what is human behaviour is a response to?)

Answer 2

external forces

agencies of socialisation

Question 3

science and society - positivism (comte)

Answer 3

empirical evidence & objectivity produces positive science of society

Question 4

science and society - positivism (why is sociology not as precise/repeatable as natural sciences?)

Answer 4

sociologists cannot control all the variables in their study
but it is objective and value-free

Question 5

science and society - positivism (how is behaviour controlled?)

Answer 5

by cause-and-effect in the social world similarly in the natural world
e.g. marx; theories of class-struggle, revolution, communism based on cause-and-effect theories established by scientific method

Question 6

science and society - social facts

Answer 6

social phenomena that exists outside individuals but constrains their behaviour

Question 7

science and society - social facts (durkheim)

Answer 7

sociology should aim to study these facts quantitatively 
e.g. social class have measurable differences between them, they exist independently but shape the way people act