Sociology and Value Freedom

Question 1

Sociology should be VALUE FREE

Answer 1

Early positivists, Modern positivists, Positivists (Durkheim), Experiments

Question 2

Society should be VALUE DRIVEN

Answer 2

Committed sociologist, Criticism of funding bodies, interpretivist, experiments

Question 3

Early positivists

Answer 3

Comte says science could discover factual knowledge, which could be used to improve society. Sociology is the science of society, so being objective can help see what is best for society

Question 4

Modern positivists

Answer 4

Sociologists should remain morally neutral, their job is to establish the truth. In the mid 1950s, sociologists were hired to solve problems, leaving out their own values as their employers were only interested in the subject purpose

Question 5

Positivists (Durkheim)

Answer 5

Durkheim used official statistics to study suicide, he left out his opinions, didn’t taint the data

Question 6

Experiments

Answer 6

Sociologists should be objective in research methods, such as using lab or field experiments, for instance, Milgram, he remained detached

Question 7

Committed sociologist

Answer 7

Marxist sociologist, Gouldner, says sociologists should openly take sides, notably to the ‘underdogs’ of society, feminists would take a similar stance

Question 8

Criticisms of funding bodies

Answer 8

The body that pays for the research just wants their own ideas implemented into it

Question 9

Interpretivist

Answer 9

Sociology should conduct value driven research, gaining rich, qualitative data, verstehen, when statistics are used no verstehen is gained

Question 10

Limitations of experiments

Answer 10

Not all variables can be controlled, Hawthorne effect, you cannot fit society into a lab