Positivism

What do positivists believe?

That it is possible and desirable to apply the logic and methods of the natural sciences to the study of society to the study of society.

What is a key feature of the positivist approach?

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 etc, which are external to our minds and which exist whether we like it or not.

• Similarly, society is an objective factual reality - it is a real
  'thing' made up of social facts that exists 'out there', independently of individuals, just like the physical world

For positivists, what is reality?

For positivists, reality is not random or chaotic but patterned, and we can observe these empirical (factual) patterns or regularities - for example, that water boils at 100 degrees Celsius. It is the job of science to observe, identity, measure and record these patterns systematically - preferably through laboratory experiments - and then to explain them.

In Durkheim’s worlds, what do positivists believe?

• Positivists believe, in Durkheim's words, that 'real laws are discoverable' that will explain these patterns. Just as physicists have discovered laws that govern the workings of nature, such as the law of gravity, sociologists can discover laws that determine how society works. The method for doing so is known as induction, or inductive reasoning.

What does induction involve?

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.

From induction, what can we develop?

We can develop a theory that explains all our observations so far. After many more observations have confirmed or verified the theory, we can claim to have discovered the truth in the form of a general law. In our example above, we can confirm the existence of a universal law of gravity. Because inductive reasoning claims to verify a theory - that is, prove it true - this approach is also known as verificationism.

For positivists, what can the patterns we observe, whether in nature or in society, all be explained by?

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 of gravity (another fact). Similarly, in sociology we might explain the social fact of educational failure in terms of another social fact such as material deprivation.

What do positivists seek to discover?

Positivist sociologists thus 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. These can then be used to predict future events and to guide social policies. For example, if we know that material deprivation causes educational failure, we can use this knowledge to develop policies to tackle it.

What explanations do positivists favour?

Positivists favour 'macro' or structural explanations of social phenomena, 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.

What do positivists believe about what experimental methods should be used?

Positivists believe that as far as possible, sociology should take the experimental method used in the natural sciences as the model for research, since this allows the investigator to test a hypothesis in the most systematic and controlled way.

Like natural scientists, what data do positivists use?

Quantitative data to uncover and measure patterns of behaviour. This allows them to produce mathematically precise statements about the relationship between the facts they are investigating. By analysing quantitative data, positivists seek to

By analysing quantitative data, what do positivists 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. These can then be used to predict future events and to guide social policies. For example, if we know that material deprivation causes educational failure, we can use this knowledge to develop policies to tackle it. This is because macro theories see society and its structures as social facts that exist outside of us and shape our behaviour patterns.

What do positivists believe about researchers?

That they should be detached and objective. They should not let their own subjective feelings. values or prejudices influence how they conduct their research or analyse their findings.

Despite the positivist view that researchers should remain detached, what is dealt with in sociology?

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 researcher's opinions rather than their own. 

Because sociology deals with people, what do positivists employ?

Methods that allow for maximum objectivity and detachment, and so they use quantitative methods such as questionnaires, structured reliable data that can be checked by others. interviews and official statistics. These methods also produce reliable data that can be checked by others.

What did Durkheim choose to study to show?

He chose to study suicide to show that sociology was a science with its own distinct subject matter. He believed that if he could prove that even such a highly individual act had social causes, this would establish sociology's status as a genuinely scientific discipline.

Using quantitive data from official statistics, what did Durkheim observe?

That there were patterns in the suicide rate. For example, rates for Protestants were higher than for Catholics.

What did Durkheim conclude?

He concluded that these patterns could not be the product of the motives of 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, what were the social facts responsible for determining the suicide rate?

According to Durkheim, the social facts responsible for determining the suicide rate were the levels of integration and regulation. Thus, for example, Catholics were less Iikely than Protestants to commit suicide because Catholicism was more successful in integrating individuals.

What did Durkheim claim to have discovered?

A 'real law: that different levels of integration and regulation produce different rates of suicide. He claimed to have demonstrated that sociology had its own unique subject matter - social facts - and that these could be explained scientifically.