Sociology Can And Should Be A Science

Question 1

Positivists (Durkheim)

Answer 1

Durkheims study od suicide statistics has faults but there is strengths to using positivist methods. Sociology should be perceived and follow the same structure as the natural sciences. Sociology can gain true, objective knowledge. We can adopt the same scientific principles to sociology in order to establish cause and effect relationships

Question 2

Objectivity

Answer 2

Positivists value objectivity and argue that sociology should be value free and we should not impose our values in the study so that data is not clouded by subjective opinions and has higher validity as no reasearcher bias or opinion.

Question 3

Paradigms shift

Answer 3

Sometimes science goes through a paradigm shift where they move away from the shared set of assumptions- earths is now round not flat. Paradigms have occurred in sociology as funncs and marxs argreed we lived in a modern society but postmodernists argue we have moved away from modernity.

Question 4

Some sociology can be falsified

Answer 4

Some theories can be falsified and proven wrong when put to the test for example we have falsified the new right view that single parent families lead to a life of crime.