Value-Free Sociology

Question 1

should be value-free - sociology vs natural world

Answer 1

positivists study sociology similar to scientists study natural world
free of personal values to establish sociology as a science

Question 2

should be value-free - achieve status

Answer 2

being value-free will give sociology status to be regarded as a source of unbiased, objective data

Question 3

should be value-free - what will sociology be able to do?

Answer 3

provide facts to influence social policy and improve the world

Question 4

can be value-free - methods

Answer 4

similar to natural sciences

Question 5

can be value-free - detachment

Answer 5

social structures/facts exist independently of researcher could be separated from their values
studied in a detached way

Question 6

can be value-free - data collected & uses

Answer 6

empirical data by hypothetic-deductive scientific method

theories using reliable/valid data can be tested to establish causes of social behaviour, uncover laws, make predictions

Question 7

can’t be value-free - influence of values

Answer 7

cannot be avoided by researcher due to their training
paradigm
perspective for interpreting evidence
assumptions
important/unimportant areas to study
unavoidable values - value-freedom is a myth

Question 8

can’t be value-free - effects of no theoretical framework

Answer 8

impossible to know what to observe
methods to use
make sense of what is observed
sociology doesn’t consists of facts that speak for themselves as its not meaningful

Question 9

can’t be value-free - positivists

Answer 9

social structures mould individual behaviour
search for the causes of social behaviour
collect quantitate data (reliable)

Question 10

can’t be value-free - interpretivist

Answer 10

society is socially constructed by individuals actions due to interpretations they give to their behaviour
produce qualitative data (valid)

Question 11

can’t be value-free - analysing suicide

Answer 11

positivist; looks at social facts on what makes some people vulnerable to suicide
interpretivist; examine process of why some sudden deaths are labelled as suicide

Question 12

can’t be value-free - selecting subjects to study

Answer 12

influences by personal prejudices and political views
marxists; exploitation and need for social change
feminists; unequal positions of women
functionalist; consensus in society and threats to it

Question 13

shouldn’t be value-free - value-laden

Answer 13

sociologists take funding from anyone then sell their research to avoid any moral responsibility on the consequences
protects researchers cheers who refuse to critics society and those with power

Question 14

shouldn’t be value-free - value-comitted

Answer 14

public responsibility for improving the lives of the exploited/oppressed
be on the side against the powerful groups
not taking sides support the powerful in an unequal society

Question 15

shouldn’t be value-free - becker

Answer 15

sociologists must choose whom to favour
commit to social change for human improvement
take responsibility for the moral implications of their work

Question 16

shouldn’t be value-free - why sociologists should see life form the point of the deprived?

Answer 16

gives them a voice through research to led to social change
marxists take value-comittment to expose social class inequality, exploitation, conflict in capitalist society to destroy power of dominant class

Question 17

shouldn’t be value-free - scientific

Answer 17

abandoning value-free doesn’t make it less scientific