The Rules of the Sociological Method (1895) - Durkheim Flashcards
What is the rule of the sociological method? What’s Durkheim’s approach to studying society?
To observe social facts and study these facts as “things”
What is a social fact, according to Durkheim?
A social fact is “every way of acting, fixed or not, capable of exercising on individuals an external constraint.” It exists outside individual consciousness and has an independent, coercive influence on people.
- overt manifestations of ideas in the human mind
What are examples of a social fact?
Institutions, laws, customs, language, moral values - they are collective representations of social behaviour
What is meant by the term “collective consciousness”?
Collective consciousness represents the shared beliefs, values, and norms of a society, which shape and influence social facts. It reflects societal solidarity and changes across different types of societies.
What is a social current?
Prevailing attitudes, beliefs, sentiments at a particular moment
fluid & temporary social facts that represent collective emotions / trends influencing indivs, such as public opinion or group enthusiasm.
What does Durkheim mean by studying social facts as ‘things’? Why does he insist on it?
- Establish sociology as a science.
- By treating social facts as objective, external, measurable, similar to physical objects, emphasize their independence from indiv consciousness.
- Objectivity: Durkheim strives for objectivity to make the discipline scientific. By characterizing social facts as “things,” he wanted to underscore their objective, tangible, and external nature. Free from personal biases or preconceived notions.
- Measurability: allows for the comparison of different societies and the identification of patterns and regularities.
What does Durkheim mean by the coercive nature of social facts?
Social facts exert pressure on indivs, compelling them to conform to societal norms. Seen in both formal systems (e.g., laws) and informal influences (e.g., social customs).
How do collective behaviors emerge, according to Durkheim?
Collective behaviors emerge from the way indivs associate & combine within society, not from intrinsic properties of indivs themselves.
What is sui generis and why does Durkheim refer to social facts/phenomenon as sui generis?
Social facts are things unique to social realm & cannot be reduced to / explained solely by indiv factors. Social facts have a reality of their own, independent of indiv consciousness, & exert a coercive influence on indivs within a society.
Should be studied on its own terms –> establishing sociology as a distinct science
society has properties & dynamics that cannot be fully understood by analyzing indivs in isolation; instead, one must study unique characteristics of social facts as entities in their own right.
What is the role of emotions in research?
our political & religious beliefs & moral standards carry with them an “emotional tone” “not characteristic of our attitude toward physical objects” -> this emotional character affects manner of conceiving & explaining them.” (p. 32)
With more positivist frameworks like that of Durkheim, emotions typically seen as subjective biases that should be controlled / minimized to ensure objectivity and rigor.
What does Durkheim say about the role of statistics in studying social facts?
Statistics help isolate & measure social facts, such as birth rates, marriage rates, suicides, providing empirical evidence of collective phenomena.
What are Durkheim’s rules for observing social facts?
- Eradicate preconceptions: Avoid personal biases and mysticism.
- Define terms clearly: Identify inherent properties of social facts and group them accordingly.
- Be objective: Recognize that the target of study is always shifting and requires flexibility.
What does Durkheim mean by “Social facts are external to the individual, yet they constrain the individual’s actions”?
Social facts exist independent of indiv consciousness but exert influence & control over individuals, shaping their behaviors & interactions.
So what’s wrong if things exist in the mind?
- If things exist only in the mind and are not considered external realities, main issue from a positivist perspective relates to verifiability, objectivity, social cohesion.
- Mental constructs that exist solely in the mind subjective –> they cannot be objectively verified / universally observed.
- cannot be generalized across society in a meaningful way as it is not a shared phenomenon.
- Take gravity for example… it cannot be subjective. It exists regardless of how one feels about them.
How is his methodology shaped by this insistence?
Positivist & Empirical
- Durkheim’s insistence on viewing social facts as external objects led to a methodological emphasis on objectivity. He aimed to remove influence of indiv bias by treating social facts as observable data that exist independently of personal interpretations.
- aligns with methods of natural sciences, where phenomena studied without interference from subjective influences. [Remember his aim is to legitimize the field].
