Is Sociology A Science?

Question 1

Sociology is a science; Argument 1: Positivists

Answer 1

• early sociologists like Comte and Durkheim argued sociology should strive to be a science
• this is because the 19th century saw the rise of science as a way of explaining things (advances in medicine, Darwin’s theory of evolution)
• Comte claimed science only concerned itself with observable phenomena but Durkheim moved away from this (makes some argue he is not truly scientific)
• some cynics argue the early sociology’s wanted to make their new subject respectable and accepted in universities so they called it the science of society
• soc does use scientific methods (Banduras study)
• less cynical view is that Comte and Durkheim thought if they could understand the scientific workings of society they could improve it in the ways doctors could make people better

Question 2

Sociology is a science; Argument 2: Kaplan

Answer 2

• sociology is as scientific or unscientific as the natural sciences
• sometimes natural sciences are not as scientific as they should be- examples of scientists ignoring data that does not fit, manipulating their data to fit their hypothesis and the fact some scientific breakthroughs have been down to luck (penicillin)
  Kaplan refers to the difference between:
• reconstructed logic: the methods scientists claim to use
• logics in use: the actual methods they use
• very little scientific research is checked so much of it contains personal bias
  If the natural sciences can be accepted as a ‘science’ then sociology can be too

Question 3

Sociology is a science; Argument 3: Realism (supporting evaluation)

Answer 3

• Bhaskar and Sayer believe it is possible and desirable for sociology to be seen as scientific, they see the social sciences and natural spines as similar
• point out that some sciences have closed systems where all the variables can be measured e.g. physics, biology
• others operate in more open systems where it is difficult to measure all the variables and precise predictions cannot be made e.g. seismology and meteorology
• believe sociology is scientific but we have accepted that societies are open complex systems making it impossible to make precise predictions, therefore it could be scientific due to its open nature

Question 4

Sociology is not a science; Argument 1: Interpretivists

Answer 4

• the subject matter of sociology differs fundamentally to that of the natural sciences and that people cannot be studied in a controlled way
• individuals are not passive recipients of external forces
• meanings and motives must be taken into account when studying actions of individuals in order to gain a valid view
• interpretivists would not strive to be scientific and believe you get a much better understanding of people if you approach your studies subjectively

Question 5

Sociology is not a science; Argument 2: Popper (supporting evaluation)

Answer 5

• Popper suggests testing hypotheses can never prove something to be true
• instead the aim should be to prove any hypothesis false the principle of falsification
• as long as it is not proved false it can be accepted as true (SWANS), however Popper claims most sociology does not produce testable hypotheses so cannot be seen as a science
• critical of Marxism because ‘come the revolution’ is always being pushed further into the future

Question 6

Sociology is not a science; Argument 3: Kuhn

Answer 6

• Kuhn argues that natural science themselves are not scientific as they do not involve a cumulative process
• Kuhn believes that science operates within paradigms (an accepted body of knowledge) and that this then dominated scientific thinking and traps thought and investigations within it, it is only through scientific revolution that a paradigm shifts
• so it is a revolution that causes the change not an accumulation of knowledge, Kuhn believes that if science doesn’t fit the criteria of what it is supposed to them sociology cannot be seen as scientific