Sociology and Value Freedom

Question 1

What are the 4 explanations as to why Sociology should be VALUE FREE?

Answer 1

1. Early Positivists
2. Modern Positivists
3. Positivist (Durkheim)
4. Methods (Experiments)

Question 2

What are the 4 explanations as to why Sociology should be VALUE DRIVEN?

Answer 2

1. Committed Sociologists
2. Criticisms of Funding Bodies
3. Interpretivists
4. Limitations of Experiments

Question 3

What is meant by ‘value free’

Answer 3

Sociology should be based on objective, true facts - more scientific without opinion.

Question 4

What is meant by ‘value driven’

Answer 4

Sociology should include personal values, subjective, and should take a stand to support a group/issue

Question 5

How else might a question say ‘value driven’

Answer 5

Value laden

Question 6

What did Early Positivists believe in?

Answer 6

Early Positivists, such as Comte, believed in the Enlightenment Project - believing science could discover factual knowledge to improve society.

Question 7

Early Positivists: What was the Enlightenment Project?

Answer 7

A modernist notion of progress applying rational knowledge and thinking to social problems.

Question 8

What is Sociology considered? What is its role, according to Early Positivists?

Answer 8

Sociology is the ‘science of society’ - discovering the truth about how society works and fixing social problems - a crucial role.

Question 9

Early Positivists: Who saw themselves a scientist? Why?

Answer 9

Marx saw himself a scientist, believed his methods of historical analysis revealed the line of development for society, involving an evolution, leading to a future classless, communist society.

Question 10

By discovering the truth about how society works, sociologists can do what, according to Early Positivists?

Answer 10

Able to say objectively and with scientific certainty what is best for society, without values interfering.

Question 11

What explanation of why sociology should be value laden matches Early Positivists?

Answer 11

Committed Sociologists

Question 12

Committed Sociologists: What does Gouldner suggest about Sociologists and their discipline?

Answer 12

Marxist, Gouldner, argues sociologists should be committed to their discipline by openly taking sides and advocating the values/interests of a particular group - the ‘underdogs’ of society (EMs, WC, women)

Question 13

Committed Sociologists: Who would take a similar stance to Gouldner?

Answer 13

Feminists: Sociologists should be on the side of females so they have a voice in a patriarchal society. Empathising with thee ppts = verstehen.

Question 14

Committed Sociologists: In order to advocate for the ‘underdogs’ of society, sociologists..

Answer 14

In order to advocate for the ‘underdogs’, Sociology should be value driven, not value free, in order to improve things for the disadvantaged groups in society.

Question 15

Committed Sociologists: What is the significant different between social and natural sciences?

Answer 15

The natural sciences are value free and opinions of scientists are not expected to impose values into scientific research - highlights a significant difference between social and natural sciences.

Question 16

Modern Positivists: What did Positivists in the 20th century believe? Why did they think this?

Answer 16

Positivists in 20th century believed their values were irrelevant to research. Desire to be scientific was the main reason for this, and as the natural sciences did not include moral/opinions, neither should sociology.

Question 17

Modern Positivists believe sociology should remain….in order to establish the…

Answer 17

Sociology should remain morally neutral, establishing the truth about people’s behaviour, not judging it.

Question 18

Modern Positivists: In the mid 1950s, several sociologists were seen as….and what were they hired to do?

Answer 18

‘problem takers’ - hired by businesses/military to solve problems. Left their values out of research as their ‘pay masters’ were not interested in those, and was not paying hem to implement their views.

Question 19

Therefore, according to Modern Positivists, why should Sociology be value free?

Answer 19

Sociology should be value free to give the subject a purpose- providing useful, factual information to help society grow.

Question 20

What explanation of why sociology should be driven by values matches Modern Positivists?

Answer 20

Criticisms of Funding Bodies.

Question 21

Criticisms of Funding Bodies: Who might be classed as a funding source?

Answer 21

Government departments, businesses and voluntary organisations

Question 22

Criticisms of Funding Bodies: Who controls the direction the research takes?

Answer 22

The funding body often controls the direction the research takes - so sociologists work likely embodies the values of their paymasters (value driven)

Question 23

Criticisms of Funding Bodies: What might funding bodies do if research findings are deemed unacceptable?

Answer 23

Block publication

Question 24

Criticisms of Funding Bodies: All research is inevitably..

Answer 24

All research is inevitably influenced by values, whether values of sociologists or funding bodies.

Question 25

Therefore, according to criticisms of funding bodies, research is always going to be, what?

Answer 25

Research is always going to be value driven - impossible to keep all values out of research.

Question 26

Another reason why Sociology should be value free is due to Durkheim (Positivist). What did Durkheim study?

Answer 26

Durkheim used official statistics (fact-based) to study suicide to establish reasons for suicide and compare/contrast suicide rates across Europe.

Question 27

Through using official statistics, what was Durkheim able to leave out of his research...

Answer 27

Opinions and thoughts - remaining objective.

Question 28

What was key for Durkheim in research? How does this prove sociology should be value free?

Answer 28

Objectivity is key for Durkheim, should be value free, as researchers should not taint the research process or data by imposing their values, resulting in data low in validity and biased. The

Question 29

Who might criticise Positivist, Durkheim, and argue that Sociology should be value driven?

Answer 29

Interpretivists.

Question 30

Why would Interpretivists argue that sociology should be value driven?

Answer 30

Allows them to gain in-depth, rich, qualitative data that has verstehen and a deeper understanding.

Question 31

Who specifically criticised Durkheim's methods of using official statistics to research suicide?

Answer 31

Douglas

Question 32

Interpretivists, like Douglas, argue that, by using official statistics...

Answer 32

No verstehen is gained, and research does not understand meaning behind suicide.

Question 33

Why did Douglas consider suicide statistics as socially constructed?

Answer 33

Suicide statistics are socially constructed - coroners decide whether a death classifies as a suicide. Subjective decision, and differs between different coroners. Reduces validity of statistics.

Question 34

Therefore, Interpretivists believe Sociology should be value driven in order to..

Answer 34

Gain verstehen by using our values

Question 35

What kind of methods might suggest sociology should be value free?

Answer 35

Experiments.

Question 36

What methods are often used by Positivists?

Answer 36

Experiments are an example of methods often used by Positivists. Can be laboratory or in a natural field environment.

Question 37

Methods (Experiments): Positivists believe Sociology should be...

Answer 37

Sociologists should be objective in conducting research methods - should aim to adopt the same principles as natural sciences.

Question 38

Who used a lab experiment to investigate obedience?

Answer 38

Milgram used a lab experiment to study effects of having an authority figure on obedience. His data was value free as no researcher bias or researcher involvement within the study - remains detached and objective.

Question 39

Therefore, due to Methods (Experiments), sociology should be...

Answer 39

Value-free so that scientific methods can be used and increase objectivity.

Question 40

However, Methods (Experiments) is contradicted by..

Answer 40

the limitations of experiments.

Question 41

What are some weaknesses as to why lab experiments should not be used as a method in sociology?

Answer 41

- Impossible to control all the possible EVs in an experiment. - Not a natural environment, so Hawthorne effect may occur, where natural behav changes as aware being studied. - Difficult study wider societal issues (eg. poverty) in artificial setting of a lab. - Verstehen cannot be gained - no insight into meaning behind HB.