Sociology and Science Flashcards
Briefly outline the Enlightnment thinkers’ view of science.
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Why did early sociologists want to use the methods of science?
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According to positivists, what are the benefits of using the logic and methods of the natural sciences in studying society?
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What is the key feature of the positivist approach?
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According to positivists, in what way is society like the physical world?
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According to positivists, what is the job of science?
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Briefly explain what is meant by induction.
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Briefly explain the process of induction, development of a theory and formulation of a scientific law.
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Briefly explain what is meant by verificationism.
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Briefly explain how macro theories see society and its structures.
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Briefly explain why positivists use quantitative data.
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According to positivists, why should researchers be objective and detached?
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Give an example of how a sociological researcher might ‘contaminate’ their research.
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According to positivists, which methods are most likely to avoid ‘contamination’ of their research?
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What was Durkheim’s aim in studying suicide?
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What does Durkheim mean by ‘social facts’?
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According to Durkheim, which social facts are involved i determining the suicide rate? Give an example to illustrate your answer.
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According to interpretivists, why is sociology not a science?
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Briefly explain the difference between the subject matter of sociology and that of the natural sciences.
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According to Mead, how do people respond to stimuli? Use an example to illustrate this
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Define verstehen.
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Why do interpretivists favour the use of qualitative methods?
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Briefly outline the following type of interpretivism:
- Interactionists
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Briefly outline the following type of interpretivism:
- Phenomenologists and ethnomethologists
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According to Douglas, what determines how individuals choose to act?
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Why does Douglas reject the use of quantitative data in the study of suicide?
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According to Atkinson, what is the only aspect of suicide that can be studied?
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Briefly explain why postmodernists argue against the idea of scientific sociology.
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Why do postmodernists suggest the scientific approach may be dangerous?
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Briefly outline the poststructuralist feminist view of scientific sociology.
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Briefly explain what is meant by ‘risk society’ and why this might be a reason to reject a scientific model for sociology.
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How do both positivists and interpretivists tend to see the natural sciences?
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Give three examples of systems of thought that claim to have true knowledge about the world, according to Popper.
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Briefly outline what is meant by induction.
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Using an example, briefly explain what Popper means by the ‘fallacy of induction’.
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According to Popper, what is it that makes a statement scientific?
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According to Popper, what are the two features of a good theory?
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Explain why, in Popper’s view, there can never be absolute proof that any knowledge is true.
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According to Popper, why does openness to criticism enable scientific knowledge to grow?
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What does Popper mean by a closed society? Give an example of a closed society.
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Why might a ‘closed’ society stifle the growth of science?
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According to Popper, why is much sociology unscientific? Use an example to illustrate this point.
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According to Popper, how could sociology be scientific? Give an example to illustrate this.
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Briefly outline the two reasons why untestable ideas may still have value.
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Briefly outline what Kuhn means by a paradigm.
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Why do scientists come to accept the paradigm uncritically?
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How is scientists’ conformity to the paradigm rewarded?
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What does Kuhn mean by normal science?
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According to Kuhn, what is the advantage of having a paradigm?
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Briefly explain what happens when scientists obtain findings that do not agree with the paradigm.
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Briefly explain how a scientific revolution begins.
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Briefly explain why it might be difficult for scientists to switch to a new paradigm.
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In what way can the acceptance of a new paradigm be compared to a religious conversion?
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How does Kuhn’s view of the scientific community from that of Popper?
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Briefly explain why sociology is pre-paradigmatic.
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According to Kuhn, how could sociology become a science?
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Briefly explain why postmodernists would reject the idea of a paradigm in sociology.
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Briefly explain what Keat and Urry mean by a closed system.
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Briefly explain what Keat and Urry mean by an open system. Give an example of an open system.
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In what way do Keat and Urry disagree with the positivist view of science?
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In what way do Keat and Urry disagree with the interpretivist view of science?
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According to realists, what is the similarity between natural and social sciences?
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Briefly outline how positivists view the nature of sociology and its subject matter.
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Briefly outline how interpretivists view the nature of sociology and its subject matter.
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Briefly explain how Popper sees science and whether sociology can be scientific.
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Briefly explain how Kuhn sees science and whether sociology can be scientific.
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Briefly explain how realists see science and whether sociology can be scientific.
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