Sociology and science

Question 1

Durkheim

Answer 1

Sociology is a science because individuals are controlled by society and are predictable. In his study of suicide he was able to identify cause and effect, because he used official statistics and believes humans are predictable; says suicide is a social fact (determined by society)

Question 2

Kuhn

Answer 2

Sociology cannot be a science because science operates on shared paradigms. Sociology has no shared paradigm or way of researching studies; it is different for everyone and they each have their own ideas and ways of thinking - sociology is pre-paradigmatic

Question 3

Popper

Answer 3

Does not believe sociology is a science because it cannot be falsified, for example, the Marxist idea of the Revolution is too broad and it cannot be tested. We should falsify instead of verify, and because most of sociology cannot be falsified, it is not a science. But, Popper suggests that it could be scientific if sociologists started conducting research with falsifiable hypotheses

Question 4

Keat and Urry

Answer 4

Sociology is a science because it is similar to the study of natural sciences, where processes are too complex or large scale to make exact predictions (open systems), such as the weather. Also, these structures are often unobservable, but we can deduce that they exist through studying their effects, such as “social class”

Question 5

Feyerbend

Answer 5

Due to the use of paradigms, science itself cannot be seen as fact or objective. It is not a rigorous approach. Much is based on commercial gain and improving status, so science is not an open or rigorous system

Question 6

Berger and Lcukmann

Answer 6

Science is a social construct

Question 7

Who takes a relativist approach regarding sociology as a science?

Answer 7

Keat and Urry

Question 8

Who can be used to argue sociology is a science?

Answer 8

• Marx
• Durkheim
• Keat and Urry
• Merton’s CUDOS norms

Question 9

What are the two overarching theoretical approaches in this debate? What are their views?

Answer 9

Positivism: We can study people objectively, empirically and quantitatively because humans are predictable

Interpretivism: Humans cannot be studied objectively as they have free will

Question 10

Douglas

Answer 10

We should study the meanings behind suicide using Interpretivist methods

Question 11

Who can be used to argue sociology is not a science?

Answer 11

• Popper
• Douglas
• Kuhn

Question 12

What other unit/debate can also be used to argue for and against science?

Answer 12

Values:
- Value-freedom (Durkheim) - for science

• Value-laden (Weber) - against science