Sociology as a science Flashcards
Who wants sociology to be like a science?
Positivists
Say that if sociologists are objective + use certain research methods then sociology can be like physics + chemistry i.e a ‘proper’ science, not just a social science
What do positivists like about science?
(3 things)
scientific research is objective, factual, testable and cumulative (builds on previous knowledge)
Scientists try to falsify their findings (Popper - Principle of falsification)
Scientists work within the CUDOS norms
What do the CUDOS norms stand for?
Communism
Universalism
Disinterestedness
Organised
Scepticism
Which sociologists see sociology as a science and why?
Many functionalists + Marxists because:
-sociologists can make predictions and look at cause and effect - just like scientists
-only QUANTitative methods can be used as they are reliable, representative and objective
-QUALitative methods are rejected as they lead to subjectivity
Who says sociology is not a science and why?
Interpretivists
because sociology is about people, people need to be studied in non-scientific ways using QUALitative methods to get validity + verstehen
methods such as case studies, participant observations
EXAMPLES: Pat Carlen, Patricks
How does Thomas Kuhn criticise the Positivist view that sociology is a study?
Kuhn says science isn’t worth copying because it isn’t cumulative
scientific thinking takes place within the accepted paradigm only until a scientific revolution occurs
Use example of Dr Velikovsky - his ideas were rejected because they didn’t work in the paradigm
demonstrates that science is not as open as originally suggested
How else can the Positivistic view that sociology is a science be criticised?
(Pre-paradigmatic argument)
Sociology can never be a science as its pre-paradigmatic; there are so many competing theories
for example, functionalists disagree with marxists about basic questions such as whether society is based on consensus or conflict
What is Sayer’s argument?
Sayer argues that scientists work within both open and closed systems
closed systems = physics and chemistry which use labs where variables are controlled, sociology can never be like those types of science
open systems = meteorology (weather), seismology (earthquakes) and astronomy (space) - variables are not controlled so sociology can be like them in the sense that they all make predictions
Why do feminists reject science?
science is patriarchal so sociology shouldn’t be scientific
Why do marxists reject science?
science is controlled by capitalism so sociology shouldn’t be scientific either
Why do Postmodernists reject science?
Science is just one version of the truth - nothing more than a grand narrative
