Sociology should be Value Free or Laden

Question 1

Positivism

Answer 1

Durkheim Value Freedom
-value free and objective
-facts not influences by researchers own beliefs
-objective law on how social system works
-value free is crucial

Question 2

Another Positivist

Answer 2

Karl Marx
-favoured scientific approach
-value laden and non scientific
-value the strength of communism/conflict

Question 3

Social Action

Answer 3

Weber
-subjective and value laden
-broke the mould
-value is important
-interpretivism and symbolic interactionism
-value tells us information, high divorce but people still value marriage
-value judgement/topic you chose
-objective without bias/neutrality

Question 4

Feminism

Answer 4

Oakley Value Laden
-creates subjectivity
-value free is male stream sociology
-male bias perspective of men
-reduces women to a side from the start

Question 5

New right

Answer 5

Value Laden
-subjective
-they think sociology is left wing propaganda
-sociology as a destructive force in British society
-bias against business, textbook ignore central features of capitalist economy e.g. job dissatisfaction

Question 6

Interpretivists

Answer 6

Value committed and subjective
-Goulder: impossible to be value free
-Myrdal: undesirable to not have values and you should take sides
-Becker: all knowledge is political serving interest, at the expense of others, always take side of disadvantage