Download Sociology as a Science

Sociology as a Science
Natural Sciences




Biology and Chemistry are
probably the first subjects
which spring to mind when
considering “what is science”
Natural sciences such as
these aim to base laws and
theories on objective facts
These facts are obtained by
investigating observable
phenomena
Natural sciences also depend
on empiricism and objectivity,
using experiments and
statistics to test the
relationship between variables
Sociology as a Science





Sociology is known as a social
science
Some sociologists argue that
society can be studied in an
objective and empirical way
Early Positivists argued that the
study of society could lead to the
control and improvement of
society
Comte argued that Sociology
could be based on the
methodology of the Natural
Sciences
This would result in a “positive
science of society” revealing
“invariable laws”
Positivism



Comte referred to Sociology as
the “queen of sciences” and
the most complex form of
science to develop
Durkheim argued that
Sociology could be as
objective as the natural
sciences
Durkheim proposed the study
of “social facts” – social
phenomenon that are external,
objective and constraining
Positivism



An example would be law as it
exists independently of an
individual and yet shapes their
actions
Durkheim argued that
Sociologists should “treat
social facts as things” and deal
with them as if they were
actually real
They should be regarded as
having an objective existence,
constructing concepts such as
“anomie” that represent social
things
Karl Popper - Falsification

Rather than the emphasis on
proving hypotheses in science,
Popper proposed the concept of
“falsification”
 Scientists are human beings and
there is a temptation to find
support for their hypotheses and
ignore results that disprove it
 Valid science must aim to refute
hypotheses and therefore assume
that theories are generally true
until disproved
 Popper believed that through
falsification, Sociology could be
accepted as a science






According to Popper,
Sociologists must use testable
hypotheses
Popper rejects Marxism
because of concepts such as
“false consciousness” that
cannot be tested or falsified
He claimed that Marxism was
a “pseudo science”
Popper takes a DEDUCTIVE
approach
Positivists use an INDUCTIVE
approach
Jot down what each phrase
means
Evaluation







Popper’s views could be criticised as Scientists would argue that
hypotheses can be verified with evidence rather than refuted
Science works on particular assumptions that cannot be falsified,
e.g. cause and effect
Popper and positivist thinkers may be criticised as having an
idealised view of scientific enquiry,
e.g. can true objectivity ever be achieved when studying society?
Being a member of a society must bring subjectivity
Can social facts be studied as external forces?
Interpretivists would argue that humans are not passive subjects of
external forces – they interact with and shape their society
To compare Sociology with natural sciences may be innappropriate
as the subject matter is very different