Sociology as a science, value freedom and interpretism vs positivem

What does empirical mean as a component of science?

collecting countable and measurable information

What does testable mean as a component of science?

hypothesis, or claim can be checked against real‑world evidence. It must be possible to observe, measure, or collect data to see whether the claim is supported or not.

What does theoretical mean as a component of science?

seeks causal relationships and aims to explain rather than describe

What does cumulative mean as a component of science?

builds on previous knowledge and adds to existing findings

What does objective mean as a component of science?

research should be value‑free

without personal bias, values, or opinions influencing the findings (supported by evidence)

Which thinkers are associated with positivism?

Durkheim and Comte

What is the positivist view on sociology as a science?

sociology is and should be a science

society can be studied in the same way as the natural sciences—through objective measurement, systematic observation, and the search for general laws of human behaviour.

What are social facts?

external and objective forces that exist independently of individuals

that shape individual behaviour and can be studied scientifically.

Why do positivists believe sociology can be scientific?

society can be observed

because they see society as governed by objective, measurable forces—what Durkheim called social facts.

What is inductive reasoning?

collecting data through observation to form and verify theories

start with specific observations and build up to a general conclusion or theory.

Why must positivist research be value‑free?

to identify patterns and establish cause and effect

argue that research must be value‑free because they want sociology to operate like the natural sciences: neutral, objective, and based on evidence

What is falsification?

the idea that a theory is scientific only if it can be proven wrong in principle

Why does Popper argue sociology is not currently a science?

many sociological theories are unfalsifiable (e.g. “behavior is determined by unconscious forces)

Why does Popper say sociology could become a science?

it can produce testable hypotheses (when falsifiable)

What is a paradigm?

a shared framework of assumptions

Why does Kuhn argue sociology is not yet a science?

it lacks a single shared paradigm and is pre‑paradigmatic

Why do postmodernists reject the idea of a single paradigm?

they see it as a restrictive meta‑narrative

it imposes one dominant worldview, suppresses alternative perspectives, creates false certainty

What do realists argue about sociology as a science?

sociology could be a science depending on the definition of science

there are real social structures and causes that exist even if we cannot directly observe them.

What are closed systems?

situations where all variables can be controlled and measured allowing precise predictions

What are open systems?

situations where variables cannot be fully controlled making precise prediction impossible

Why do realists classify sociology as an open system?

sociology involves complexity and multiple variables the researcher cannot control

What is the interpretivist position on sociology as a science?

sociology cannot and should not be a science

human meanings, experiences, and social interactions—is fundamentally different from the natural world studied by physics or biology

What is the observable vs unobservable argument?

science studies observable causes while sociology studies unobservable meanings

What is the consciousness argument?

natural sciences study matter without consciousness while sociology studies conscious beings

unlike the objects studied in natural science. (interpretivists)

Why do interpretivists reject scientific methods?

Not like natrual science humans have meaning, consciousness, and the socially constructed nature of reality.

What does Verstehen mean?

empathic understanding of human behaviour

see the world from the point of view of the people being studied (Weber)

What does social construction mean?

a phenomenon created by society rather than nature, it varies between cultures

What type of data do interpretivists prefer?

qualitative data

What methods do interpretivists prefer?

unstructured interviews

Which sociological perspectives align with interpretivism?

social action theories such as symbolic interactionism

Which sociologists are associated with interpretivism?

Weber

What is the interpretivist approach to sociological research?

researchers must be empathetic to understand meanings attached to action

not measuring behaviour like a natural science

What does causality mean?

the relationship between cause and effect, how a stimulus leads to an action

What is the difference between natural science and sociology?

natural science studies causation fixed measurable laws, sociology studies how behavior is shaped by meaning , culture and interaction

What is interactionism?

the view that causal explanations are possible but hypotheses should not be imposed before research

how people create social reality through everyday interactions, meanings, and interpretations

What is grounded theory?

allowing ideas to emerge from data before forming a testable hypothesis

Why do Glaser and Strauss reject starting with a hypothesis?

it risks imposing the researcher’s views rather than actors’ meanings

Theory should come from the data itself, not be imposed on it

What is phenomenology and ethnomethodology?

interpretivist approaches that focus on how people create and understand social reality

society is not a fixed structure but something people actively produce through meaning and interaction.

What do phenomenologists and ethnomethodologists study?

how shared meanings are created , understood and maintained

What type of data do positivists prefer?

quantitative data

What methods do positivists prefer?

closed questions

Which perspectives align with positivism?

structural theories such as functionalism

Which sociologists are associated with positivism?

Durkheim and Comte

What does empirical mean as a component of science?

Measuring information through systematic observation, data, and experience.

based on real‑world evidence, not theory, opinion

What does testable mean as a component of science?

scientific knowledge can be tested and retested

idea, theory, or hypothesis can be checked against empirical evidence to determine whether it is true or false