Topic 3 - Sociology And Science Flashcards
Do Positivists believe sociology is or isn’t a science and why ?
Positivists believe sociology is a science because it is possible and desirable to apply the logic and methods of natural sciences to the study of society , doing so will bring us true ,objective knowledge as that found in natural sciences , this will provide the basis for solving problems and achieving progress
What are the key features to the positivist approach and how is this evidenced ?
A key feature of the positivist approach is the belief that reality exists outside and independently of the human mind ;
-nature is made up of objective , observable , physical facts such as rocks , cells , stars which are external to our minds and which exist whether we like it or not
-society is an objective factual reality -it is a real”thing” made up of social facts that exist out there independently of individuals , just like the physical world
How do positivists believe reality is not random and chaotic but patterned and an example of why ?
Positivist argue that society is patterned because we can observe these empirical (factual)patterns or regularities .
For example , water boils at 100 degrees
What is inductive reasoning (positivists ) and what does induction involve ?
Sociologists can discover laws that determine how society works
Induction involves accumulating data about the world through careful observation and measurement , as our knowledge grows , we begin to see general patterns . For example , we may observe that objects , when dropped always fall towards the earth at the same rate of acceleration
What is verificationism ?
From inductive reasoning we can develop a theory that explains all of our observations so far . After many observations have confirmed the theory , we can claim that we have discovered the truth in the form of a general law - we have verified the theory put forward by inductive reasoning
How do positivists believe that patterns observe can be explained ?
Positivists believe the patterns we observe , whether in nature or in society can all be explained in the same way - by finding the facts that cause them
For example , physics explains an apple falling to the ground (one fact) in terms or gravity (another fact)
Similarly in sociology we might explain the social facts of educational failure in terms of another social fact such as material deprivation
What do positivists seek to discover regarding the patterns they observe and what does this allow them to do ?
Positivist seek to discover the causes of the patterns they observe , like natural scientists they aim to produce general statements or scientific laws about how society works Induction, these can be used to predict future events and guide social policies
For example , if we know material derivation causes educational failure , we can use this knowledge to develop policies to tackle it
What kind of approaches and who do positivists favour and why ?
Positivist favour macro or structural explanations of social phenomenon such as functionalism and Marxism . This is because macro theories see society and its structures as social facts that exist outside of us and shape our behaviour patterns
How do positivists believe that sociology should be studied ?
Positivists believe experimenters should examine each possible causal factor to observe its effect , while excluding all other factors
What kind of data do positivists use and what does this allow them to do ?
Positivists use quantitative data which allows them to uncover and measure patterns of behaviour. This allows them to produce mathematically precise statements about the relationship between the facts they are investigating.
Allows positivists seek discover the law of cause and effect that determine behaviour
How do positivists believe the researcher should behave in the research ?
Positivists believe that researchers should be detached and objective . They shouldn’t let their own subjective feelings , values or prejudices influence on how they conduct their research or analyse their findings
In natural sciences ,it is claimed that the scientists values and opinions make no difference to the outcome of the research . For example , water boils at 100 degrees whether the scientist likes that fact or not
What do positivists believe is the problem when studying people in society ?
Positivist acknowledge that in society we are dealing with people , and there is a danger that the researcher may contaminate the research - for example by influencing interviewees to answer in ways that reflect the researchers opinions rather than their own
How do positivists deal with the problem of studying people in society ?
Positivists employ methods that allow for maximum objectivity and detachment and so use quantitative methods such as questionnaires , structured interviews , official statistics
These methods also produce reliable data that can be checked by others
What was Durkheims (positivist )study on that proved sociology was a science ?
Durkheim use quantitative data from official statistics , Durkheim observed that there were patterns in suicide rate .
For example , Protestants rates were higher than catholics
He concluded that these patterns couldn’t be the product of the motives of the individuals but were social facts . As such they must be caused by other social facts - forces acting upon members of society to determine their behaviour
According to Durkheim , the social facts responsible for determining the suicide rate were levels of integration and regulation . Thus for example catholics were less likely than Protestants to commit suicide because Catholicism was more successful in integrating individuals.
Thus Durkheim claimed to have discovered a real law that different levels of integration and regulation produce different rates of suicide
Do interpretivists believe sociology is or isn’t a science and what do they think about positivists view ?
Interpretivists do not believe sociology is a science and believe the positivists belief that sociology is a science is inadequate and completely unsuited to the study of human beings
What do interpretivists say about the subject matter of sociology which leads them to say sociology isn’t a science ?
Interpretivists argue that the subject matter of sociology is meaningful social action ,and that we can only understand it by successfully interpreting the meanings and motives of the actors involved . Interpretivists say sociology is about unobservable internal meanings , not external causes . In their view sociology isn’t a science because science only deals with laws of cause and effect , and not human beings
How do interpretivists argue that there is a fundamental difference between the subject matter of natural sciences and that of sociology ?
-Natural sciences - studies matter which has no consciousness . As such , the behaviour can be explained as a straightforward explanation to an external stimulus . For example , an apple falls to the ground because of the force of gravity . It has no consciousness and no choice about its behaviour
-Sociology - studies people , who do have consciousness , people make sense of and construct their world by attaching meanings to it . Their actions can only be understood in terms of these meanings , and meanings are internal to people’s consciousness , not external stimuli
What does Mead (interpretivists ) argue about the idea of free will which shows sociology isn’t a science ?
Mead argues that individuals have free will and therefore can exercise their choice , mead argues that rather than responding automatically to external stimuli , human beings interpret the meanings of the stimulus and then chose how to respond to it
For example , on seeing a red light , a motorist must first interpret it as meaning stop , even then this doesn’t determine the behaviour of, since they could still chose to obey the signal to jump the light. How they react will depend on the meaning they give to the situation . For example , escaping the police or avoiding a collision . Thus when you stop at a red light it is because they understand and interpret the rule concerning the meaning of red traffic lights not because there is some force outside determining their behaviour
For interpretivists , individuals aren’t puppet which are manipulated by external social facts but independent beings who construct their own social world through meanings they give to it
What does Weber (interpretivists ) mean by Verstehen ?
Argue to discover the meanings that people give to their actions we end to see the world from their view point , for interpretivists this means abandoning the detachment and objectivity favoured by positivists , instead we put ourselves in the place of the actor which Weber calls Verstehen or empathetic understanding to grasp their meanings
What kind of research methods do interpretivists favour and why ?
Interpretivists favour the use of qualitative methods and data such as participant observation , unstructured interviews , personal documents.
These methods produce richer , more personal data high in validity and give the sociologist a subjective understanding of the actor’s meanings
What are the 3 types of interpretivism ?
-interactionists
-phenomenologists
-ethnomethodologists
