Sociology Should Not Be A Science

Question 1

Interpretivists

Answer 1

Interpretivists such as Douglas argue that research methods are inappropriate to study society as society cannot fit into a lab. Sociologists should seek to gain verstehen in their research. Durkheims study uses quantitative data and study’s suicide using official statists. This is wrong and suicide should be studied sensitively using qualitative data such as suicide notes

Question 2

Committed sociology

Answer 2

Goulder argues that sociologists should be committed to their discipline by openly taking sides and advocating for particular groups and individuals such as the underdogs of society. Feminists would argue that sociologists should be on the side of females when studying things such as domestic abuse. In natural sciences you cannot use your own opinions as it is value free

Question 3

Paradigms

Answer 3

A paradigm is a shared set of assumptions which people within the same disciple hold. For example, all biologists believe in photosynthesis. This tells the researcher how they ought to think and behave. Science cannot exists without this shared paradigm. Sociology does not a have a paradigm as all the theories compete against eachother

Question 4

Falsification

Answer 4

Popper argues that what makes science unique is the fact that a scientific statement can be proved wrong. Sociology can’t be a science because it is full of theories which have no way of being falsified. For example Karl Marx’s theory of a revolution cannot be falsified as he will be right either way