Sociology and Values Flashcards
1
Q
outline the Early Positivists
A
- Comte + Durkheim: share the Enlightenment/ Modernist view of the role of sociology - as the science of society, sociology is meant to discover the truth about how society works, uncovering the laws that govern its functioning
- they believe scientific sociology would reveal the once correct society
- by giving sociologists a crucial role of discovering the truth about society, sociologists would be able to say - objectively and with certainty - what was best for society
- Comte: named sociology as the ‘queen of the sciences’
2
Q
outline Karl Marx’s view of the sociologists + values
A
- whether Karl Marx was a positivist or not, he saw himself as a scientist - he believed his method of historical analysis, historical materialism could reveal the development of society
- this development involved; an evolution through several class-based societies, ultimately leading to a future classless communist society, in which exploitation, alienation + poverty would end + each individual would be free of B rule
- thus, Marx’s sociology accurately predicts this development of society
3
Q
outline Max Weber’s view of the sociologists + values
A
- Weber made a distinction between value judgements and the facts - we cannot just derive one from the other - the use of values have different uses in research
- e.g. research shows that divorcees are more likely to commit suicide - however this doesn’t demonstrate the truth of the value judgement that we should make divorces harder to obtain - we may argue it should be harder to obtain marriages, or that everyone has their own right to commit suicide
- value judgments can neither be proved or disproved by facts
- BUT, Weber still saw an essential role for values in sociological research
4
Q
outline values as a guide to research
A
- Weber: took the idea from phenomenology that social reality is made up of a ‘meaningless infinity’ of facts that make it impossible to study completely
- Weber says we can only select the facts to study in terms of what we regard as important based on our own values/ their ‘value relevance’ to us
- values are thus essential in allowing us to select which aspects of reality to study + developing concepts to understand these aspects
- e.g. Feminists: value gender equality and so they study W’s oppression + develop concepts such as patriarchy to understand it
5
Q
outline data collection and hypothesis testing
A
- while values are essential in choosing what to study, Weber says we must be objective + unbiased when actually collecting facts + keep our values and prejudices out of the process
- e.g. we shouldn’t ask leading questions designed to give answers we want to hear - Qs should aim to get respondents to give us their view - not our own
- once facts are gathered, we can use them to test a hypothesis, in which it must be based solely on if it fits the observe facts
6
Q
outline values in the interpretation of data
A
- values again, like in choosing the aspect to study, become important when interpreting the collected data
- facts need to be set in a theoretical framework so we can understand them in their significance + draw conclusions
- Weber: our choice of theoretical framework/ perspective is influenced by our values - we must be explicit in spelling out our values so that others can see if unconscious bias is present in our interpretation of data
7
Q
outline values and sociologists as a citizen
A
- research findings often have real effects on peoples lives, but sociologists + scientists tend to ignore the uses to which their work is put
- they argue their job is just to conduct objective research + discover facts - its for the politicians/ public to decide what use to make of their findings
- Weber rejects this view: scientists + soc are also humans + citizens, they mustn’t dodge moral + political issues their work raises by hiding behind words like objectivity - they must take moral responsibility for the harm their research can cause
- e.g. Einstein’s theories helped make the atomic bomb possible - yet he also spoke out against nuclear weapons
8
Q
outline the Modern Positivist view on use of values in sociology
A
- argues that their own values were irrelevant to their research due to;
1) the desire to appear scientific
2) the social position of sociology
8
Q
outline committed sociology
A
- some positivists, such as Gouldner + Mydral, argue for a committed sociology - in which sociologists (S) shouldn’t only spell out their values (as Weber argues), they should also ‘take sides’ by involving themselves in the values + interests of a particular individual/ group
- committed Ss argues that its neither possible/ desirable to keep values our of research
8
Q
outline the Modern Positivist view of the social position of sociology
A
- Gouldner: by the 1950s, American sociologists has become mere ‘spiritless technicians’;
- earlier in the century, sociology had been a critical discipline, often challenging accepted authority
- by the 50s, sociologists were no longer ‘problem makers’ who defined their own research problems - they were ‘problem takers’ who were hired to take on + solve issues of organisations such as businesses + military
- Goulder: by leaving their own values behind, sociologists were making a ‘gentleman’s promise’ that they wouldn’t rock the boat by criticising their payers
- the view that sociologists own values are irrelevant is criticised by Weber when he said sociologists must take moral responsibility for the effects of their work
8
Q
outline the Modern Positivist view of the desire to appear scientific
A
- science is concerned with facts, not value - sociologists should remain morally neutral as their job is to establish the truth about people’s behaviour - not to judge it
- critics: argue that this reflects the desire to make sociology respectable - science has a high prestige in modern society, so mimicking its ways would raise the subject’s status + earn respectability
8
Q
outline Gouldner’s view of value-free sociology
A
- as a committed sociologist, Gouldner argues value-free sociology is;
1) impossible: as whether the sociologist’s own values, or those of their payers, are bound to be reflected in their work
2) undesirable: as without values to guide research, Ss are merely selling their services to the highest bidder
9
Q
outline Howard Becker’s view on the use of values in sociology
A
- Becker asks, ‘Whose side are we on?’
- he argues values are always present in sociology, but traditionally, Positivists + Functionalists tend to they take the viewpoint of powerful groups - e.g. police, psychiatrists etc
- B argues Ss should adopt the view of ‘underdogs’ - e.g. criminals, mental patients - as less is known about these groups + their stories need to be told to redress the balance, which can reveal a hidden side of social reality
- the emphasis by Goffman for identifying + empathising with the powerless links to the research methods favoured by Interactionists (qualitative like participant observation) which reveal the meanings of ‘outsiders’
9
Q
what is the debate surrounding taking sides
A
- if all sociology is influenced by values, this means a sociologist must inevitably take sides
- by not choosing a side, the sociologist is taking the side of the more powerful against the less powerful
9
Q
outline an example of Becker’s view on sociology
A
- by empathizing with a mental patient, we can reveal the hidden rationality of behaviours that the psychiatrist thinks of as irrational
- the Interactionist, Goffman, argues that to describe the situation of the mental patient fully, we have to take their side - we must be biased in favour of the patient + against the psychiatrist
10
Q
what is Gouldner’s opinion on Becker’s view
A
- Gouldner criticizes Becker for taking a romantic + sentimental approach to disadvantaged groups - Becker is only concerned with ‘outsiders’ - the misunderstood, negatively labelled, etc
- Gouldner takes a Marxist perspective: Ss should take the side of those who are ‘fighting back’ - the political radicals struggling to change society
- sociology shouldn’t confine itself to describing the viewpoint of the underdog - should be committed to ending oppression by unmasking how the powerful maintains their position
11
Q
outline funding in relation to values
A
- most sociological research is funded by external bodies - e.g. Gov departments, businesses, voluntary organisations
- the payer of the research can control its direction + questions asked and not asked
- thus the S is likely to embody the values + interests of their paymasters - e.g. funding bodies can block publication of research if its findings are unacceptable
12
Q
outline careers in relation to values
A
- Ss may wish to further their career + reputations, which can influence their choice of topic (topics of current relevancy), research questions + their interpretations of findings
- some may censor themselves for fear that being too outspoken will harm their career prospects/ cost them their job
- Gouldner: all research is inevitably influenced by values
13
Q
outline perspectives and methods
A
- diff sociological perspectives can be seen as embodying diff assumptions + values about how society is/ should be
- these assumptions + values influence the topics that Ss choose to research, the concepts they develop + conclusions they reach
- e.g. Functionalists concludes that inequality is beneficial for society, whereas M concludes that it produces class based exploitation
- also a link between Ss methods + their value-stance - e.g. Interactionists’ preference for qual methods fits with their desire to empathise with the underdog, as this method gives them intel into the actors meanings - they have selected methods that produces supporting evidence for their views
14
Q
outline 3 examples of different sociological perspectives
A
- Feminism: sees society as based on gender inequality + promotes the rights of women
- Functionalism: sees society as harmonious + espouses conservative values that favour the status quo
- Marxism: sees society as conflict-ridden + strives for a classless society
15
Q
outline objectivity and realism
A
- if all perspectives involve values, their findings are just a reflection of their values, rather than a true picture of society
- there would be no way of deciding which theory is true - this idea is known as Relativism. which argues;
- diff groups, cultures, individuals - including sociologists, have diff views of the truth as they see the world in their own way
- there is no independent way of judging if a view is truer than any other
- Relativism goes further to say that there is no absolute or objective truth - just multiple truths from different people + their views
16
Q
outline relativism and postmodernism
A
- Postmodernists take a relativist view of knowledge, by rejecting the idea that any account of the world is superior than any other - there are no ‘privileged accounts’ that have special access to the truth
- any perspective that claims to have the truth, such as Marxism, is just a meta-narrative
- all knowledge is based on values + assumptions and thus no perspective has any special claims to be true
16
Q
outline a criticism of the Postmodernist - Relativist view
A
- the PM view that all sociology theories are meta-narratives and there is no one truth must apply to PM
- this leads to the paradoxical conclusion that we shouldn’t believe what PM says either
- relativism is self defeating - it claims to be telling us something true, whilst also telling us that no one can tell us what is true
17
Q
outline the HTC case study
A
- the US Human Terrain Service collected information about Low Income Countries, e.g. Syria, on their population, villages, people etc
- this info was then used to attack Syria in a violent war
- the researchers, even if it wasn’t their intent, should have considered the potential use for their research
- as Gouldner says, the detached nature of Modern Positivists/ value-free researchers makes them ‘spiritless technicians’
18
Q
what is the Marxist view of value freedom
A
- Marxists: in capitalist societies, understanding is distorted + the reality of society’s organisation is concealed to serve the interests of the RC
- it is only the WC who know the ‘true’ nature of social organisation as they are aware of class struggles as the victims of inequality - thus research is unable to be value free
- BUT; Ms don’t deny the possibility of scientific study of society, but such knowledge cant be value free
- instead of criticising capitalism, we must analyse the experiences of the WC to overcome their oppression
19
Q
what is the Feminist view of value freedom
A
- Feminists: critique the ‘value-free’ scientific claims of ‘malestream’ sociology, as its sex blind at best and sexist + serves to subordinate W
- Oakley: ‘subject areas reduce W to a side issue from the start’ + the invisibility of W is a male structured view - not a superficial flaw
- sociology puts forward the claims of men + a male bias - sociology for W by W is needed
