Should Sociology Be Value Free?

Question 1

What are the 3 main competing positions adopted by sociologists in the ‘values debate’?

Answer 1

1. Sociology should and can be value free
2. Sociology cannot be value free
3. That sociology should not be value free, even if it were possible

Question 2

Sociology should be value free

Answer 2

Comte and durkheim think this and believe it is possible to study society objectively in same way as scientists studied the natural world. Think should be as would give same status and authority that would allow it to be regarded as a source of impartial, objective info.

Question 3

Sociology can be value free

Answer 3

Positivists comte and durkheim think it can be objective and value-free as long it uses same methods to those in natural sciences. Use hypothetico deductive scientific method, possible to test theories using reliable and valid data.

Question 4

A value-free sociology is not possible: myth of value freedom

Answer 4

Impossible for any natural or social scientist to avoid influence of values completely. Training, paradigm, perspective, assumptions. Facts don’t ‘speak for themselves’ and are not meaningful in themselves. Depend on theoretical assumptions and interpretations.

Question 5

Assumptions of positivists and interpretivists as a source of values

Answer 5

Investigations based on researchers subjective assumptions about nature of people in society.

Question 6

What do positivists believe?

Answer 6

Believe exists as an objective reality with social structures moulding and constraining individual behaviour. Leads them to search for causes of social behaviour by collection of quantitive data which can be replicated and checked by others.

Question 7

What do interpretivists believe?

Answer 7

Society socially constructed by actions of individuals who act the way they do because of meanings and interpretations they give to their behaviour. Only way to see is collect qualitative data through close involvement with those being researched and by process of subjective interpretation. Example suicide study.

Question 8

Value freedom as ideology

Answer 8

Goulder argues it isn’t possible to be free from value judgement in sociology. He argues that that its just a convenient ideology that serves career interests of sociologists who will sell to highest bidders and avoid taking responsibility. Pretending to be value free and not taking sides supports powerful in unequal society as not doing anything to help.
Argues shouldn’t try and be value free but should be clear value commitment

Question 9

Postmodernism and values debate

Answer 9

Lyotard and Baudrillard suggest subjectivity/objectivity and value-freedom debate simply reflects values and assumptions of competing sociologists. No objective truth and all forms of knowledge social constructions.

Question 10

What are the 3 ways we can accept the existence of values in society and still produce valid data?

Answer 10

1. Values can’t be avoided when choosing the topic to research, but values and prejudices shouldn’t be allowed to enter research.
2. Values and personal prejudices should be considered when examining ethics
3. Findings should be open to inspection, criticism, debate and testing