objectivity and subjectivity

Question 1

sociology is objective - values dont enter - early positvists and functionalists

Answer 1

comte and durkheim - role of sociology is to discover truth about how society works and uncover laws that govern functioning.

sociologists should do so by using objective, reliable methods based on natural sciences to produce knowledge that can be used to solve social problems - sociologists would be able to say objectively and with scientific certainty what is best for society.

e.g durkheims study into suicide using stats to represent people and to remain detached from the research

Question 2

sociology is objective - values dont enter - modern positivists

Answer 2

by 20th century values were irrelevant to research - sociologists desired to appear scientific so saw job as being simply to establish truth about people’s behaviour - may have been an attempt to make sociology as respectable as natural science

by 1950s in USA, sociology changed its position from being a critical discipline which challenged accepted authority to co-operating with establishments where sociologists were often hired by gov, military and businesses to solve their problems - by being value free, sociologists were making promise to their employers that they wouldn’t criticise or question them - as sociologists were simply hired, they saw their values as irrelevant

Question 3

sociology is subjective - values enter - committed sociology

Answer 3

sociology should be used to improve society and sociologists should take side of ‘underdogs’.

becker - criticises positivists - by claiming to be objective, they’re taking side of those in power. argues sociologists should adopt compassionate stance and take side of powerless groups - less is known about powerless groups and their voices need to be heard. by identifying with them, sociologists can reveal previously unknown side of social reality

Question 4

sociology is subjective - values enter - perspectives

Answer 4

different sociological perspectives embody different values about how society should be.
values influence topics sociologists from each perspective choose to study, concepts they develop and conclusions they reach.

value stance also affects type of method they choose:
interpretivists choose qualitative methods to achieve verstehen thus fully empathising with underdog while positivists choose quantitative methods to maintain distance from respondents to maintain objectivity