T&M - Sociology as a Science Flashcards
What is the main claim of positivists regarding sociology?
Sociology should use experimental methods from natural sciences to test hypotheses.
Who is considered one of the earliest positivist thinkers in sociology?
Comte
What do positivists believe about the study of society?
It can be studied scientifically, establishing cause and effect relationships.
What is inductive reasoning in the context of positivist sociology?
Accumulating data and patterns in research.
What is verificationism in positivist sociology?
Verifying a theory when there is enough data to prove it.
According to Durkheim, what is a social fact related to suicide?
Moral regulation (religious belief) impacts social integration.
What is interpretivism’s stance on sociology as a science?
Sociology cannot be studied like scientific objects due to human consciousness.
What term describes the understanding of individual meanings in interpretivism?
Verstehen
What is a paradigm in the context of science?
A framework of assumptions, principles, methods, and techniques within which a scientific community operates.
Who argued that sociology is not a science yet due to lack of an agreed paradigm?
Kuhn
What is Popper’s view on falsification in sociology?
Sociology cannot be a science if it has unfalsifiable theories.
What does Popper suggest is necessary for a theory to be scientific?
It must allow for falsification.
What is the difference between open and closed systems in realist sociology?
Open systems cannot control all variables; closed systems can.
What can realists measure in sociology?
Underlying structures in society and their effects.
What does postmodernism say about objective reality?
There is no objective reality waiting to be measured.
What are meta-narratives according to postmodernists?
Stories or versions of the truth that people can choose to believe.
Fill in the blank: According to Foucault, theories that claim to know the truth are simply _______.
META-NARRATIVES
True or False: Science is viewed as an objective truth according to postmodernism.
False
