Theories and Methods- Sociology as a science

What is science?

  • Organised, systematic, cumulative pursuit of knowledge.

  • Testing hypotheses rigorously.

  • Scientists seeking proof on empirical knowledge.

  • Objective and neutral.

The Scientific Method

Is Sociology like this- Positivism.

  • Positivists think it is and should be a science.

  • Durkheim On Suicide study follows the scientific method.

  • tested his hypothesis with quantitative data and considered variables.

  • Positivists say that it is possible to establish objective social facts by using scientific research methods.

  • Good sociology follows this method.

  • Quantitative data can be analysed.

  • However, Durkheim’s study has been criticised- stating you cannot operationalise concepts like social cohesion and social control, and questioning the reliability of the statistics.

Karl Popper

  • The scientific method depends on falsifiability

  • Positivist sociologists tend to use inductive reasoning (proving a hypothesis is true) but if they want to be scientists, they should be deductive reasoning (proving a hypothesis as false).

  • Positivist sociology failed to be scientific as they do not engage in falsification due to using inductive reasoning.

  • uses the analogy of the “Black Swan”- a hypothesis that all swans are white and using inductive reasoning means there would be a lot of evidence to back up your hypothesis, but if you find a black swan, you have proved it false.

  • Popper argues some sociological concepts cannot be falsified therefore not being scientific, being particularly critical of Marxists, stating one cannot falsify the concept of false class consciousness.

Interpretivism (social action theorists)

  • Sociology is not and should not be a science.

  • Humans have agency: we can choose how we react, not like a chemical.

  • Subjective opinions and interpretations are interesting.

  • Social action theorists: sociology deals with social constructions rather than social facts. MICRO.

Realist view

  • NOT LEFT OR RIGHT REALISM

  • Sociology could be a science- an open science rather than a closed science.- Andrew Saver.

  • Different types of science- chemistry is a closed science, but metrology is an open science- so many variables at work is cannot be controlled.

  • Saver- sociology is like metrology as it has too many variables.

Is science objective and value free?

  • Kuhn= paradigms.

  • Mainstream science operates within a mainstream paradigm, and a science or assumption that challenges a paradigm is not welcomed and side-lined.

  • Sociology could be a young science without a unifying paradigm. E.g. is all of sociology is functionalist then it would have a paradigm and be a science.

  • Science can be funded e.g. by oil- companies, can make the findings subjective and value- laden.

  • Postmodernists- science is just another metanarrative- a big story.