Sociology as a science

"The exploration of the social conditions that facilitate or retard the search for scientific knowledge has been the major theme of Robert K. Merton's work for forty years. This collection of papers [is] a fascinating overview of this sustained inquiry. . . . There are very few other books in sociology . . . with such meticulous scholarship, or so elegant a style. This collection of papers is, and is likely to remain for a long time, one of the most important books in sociology."—Joseph Ben-David, New York Times Book Review "The novelty of the approach, the erudition and elegance, and the unusual breadth of vision make this volume one of the most important contributions to sociology in general and to the sociology of science in particular. . . . Merton's Sociology of Science is a magisterial summary of the field."—Yehuda Elkana, American Journal of Sociology "Merton's work provides a rich feast for any scientist concerned for a genuine understanding of his own professional self. And Merton's industry, integrity, and humility are permanent witnesses to that ethos which he has done so much to define and support."—J. R. Ravetz, American Scientist "The essays not only exhibit a diverse and penetrating analysis and a deal of historical and contemporary examples, with concrete numerical data, but also make genuinely good reading because of the wit, the liveliness and the rich learning with which Merton writes."—Philip Morrison, Scientific American "Merton's impact on sociology a...

Sociology and psychology: What are the differences between these two social sciences, and which might be more appropriate for you? It’s not always easy to distinguish between sociology vs. psychology. They’re both broad disciplines that draw on empirical evidence to explore what it means to be human, and their findings apply across a wide spectrum of human activity. The following guide discusses both what these fields have in common and what sets them apart from each other. Degree Finder Defining Sociology Sociology can encompass virtually any aspect of human society, from family, gender and religion to the social causes and consequences of crime and poverty. Like anthropology, sociology analyzes human behavior and actions. But sociology vs. anthropology have differences as well. While anthropology is rooted in the environment and culture of human beings and their forebears, sociology focuses more on here-and-now social change and the social consequences of human behavior. Common Sociology Focus Areas Those pursuing Culture and Diversity This concentration focuses on how broad social phenomena like class, race and gender shape the lives of ordinary people. It extrapolates from those experiences to suggest patterns in human behavior and social life. Family, Gender and Society Arguably the cornerstone of most societies, and key to their stability, the family helps to instill cultural norms into each new generation. The definition of family has evolved considerably in western...

\( \newcommand\) • • • • Learning Objectives • Contrast positivist sociology with “verstehen”-oriented sociological approaches Early sociological studies considered the field of sociology to be similar to the natural sciences, like physics or biology. As a result, many researchers argued that the methodology used in the natural sciences was perfectly suited for use in the social sciences. The effect of employing the scientific method and stressing empiricism was the distinction of sociology from theology, philosophy, and metaphysics. This also resulted in sociology being recognized as an empirical science. Positivism and Verstehen This early sociological approach, supported by August Comte, led to positivism, an idea that data derived from sensory experience and that logical and mathematical treatments of such data are together the exclusive source of all authentic knowledge. The goal of positivism, like the natural sciences, is prediction. But in the case of sociology, positivism’s goal is prediction of human behavior, which is a complicated proposition. The goal of predicting human behavior was quickly realized to be a bit lofty. Scientists like Wilhelm Dilthey and Heinrich Rickert argued that the natural world differs from the social world; human society has culture, unlike the societies of most other animals. The behavior of ants and wolves, for example, is primarily based on genetic instructions and is not passed from generation to generation through socialization. As...

Sociology is the only discipline that investigates social relationships and society. Neither any social science has the same ‘focus’ as sociology. Social science’s main distinguishing feature is its subject of concern. Studying social phenomena scientifically is not without difficulties. Social sciences cannot be as precise as natural and physical sciences by their very nature. However, it is not fair to claim that sociology will never be a science. Is sociology a science? Perhaps as a result of this, sociologists became separated into two opposite groups. So we have two opposing viewpoints on the nature of Sociology. Sociology as a Scientific Discipline There is a major debate in sociological theory about whether or not sociology is a science. Like Auguste Comte and Emile Durkheim, the first academic sociologists certainly viewed sociology as a science. Positive sociologists held that the scientific method could be applied to social science to produce social facts and universal principles. Humans have freedom and will not simply adhere to universal rules and changes like natural phenomena, according to interpretivist sociologists. Sociologists apply multiple study methodologies, and whether or not sociology is considered a science can be determined in part by the definition of science that has been agreed upon. Check out the complete UPSC Syllabus The Development of Sociology as a Science To establish sociology as a science of society, the first step was to view society a...

• Sociology Revision Resources for Sale • Exams, Essays and Short Answer Questions • Intro • Families and Households • Education • Research Methods • Sociological Theories • Beliefs in Society • Media • Globalisation and Global Development • Crime and Deviance • Key Concepts • About • Privacy Policy • Home Table of Contents • • • • • • • • • • • • This post contrasts the Positivist view that sociology can be an objective science with the Interpretivist view that we need an interpretive understanding of human action; it then looks at Bruno Latour’s view that scientific knowledge is socially constructed, Thomas Kuhn’s Paradigm critique of science, and Sayer’s Realist view of science based on the difference between open and closed system; finally it looks at postmodern views of science. What is Science? The Positivist Approach to social research is usually regarded as the scientific approach to studying society. • Durkheim’s Suicide (1897) illustrates the positivist view of science. It is the most influential on sociology. Durkheim’s views are based on the following principles: • There are objective facts about the social world and they are expressed in statistics. • These facts are not influenced by the personal beliefs of the researcher. • Having collected stats, you should look for correlations which can reveal causal relationships • Durkheim believed human behaviour can be explained by external stimuli • By following this approach it is possible to uncover the laws of hum...

Relevance: Sociology paper I SOCIOLOGY AS A STUDY OF ‘SOCIAL FACTS In defining the subject matter of Sociology two tasks are involved: • Defining the total field of study and (b) defining the sort of ‘thing’ which will be found in this field. In his book, The Rules of Sociological Method, published in 1895, Durkheim (1950: 3) is concerned with the second task and calls social facts the subject matter of Durkheim, defines social facts as “ways of acting, thinking and feeling, external to the individual, and endowed with a power of coercion by reason of which they control him”. To Durkheim society is a reality suigeneris. Society comes into being by the association of individuals. Hence society represents a specific reality which has its own characteristics. This unique reality of society is separate from other realities studied by physical or biological sciences. Further, societal reality is apart from individuals and is over and above them. Thus, the reality of society must be the subject matter of sociology. A scientific understanding of any social phenomenon must emerge from the ‘collective’ or associational characteristics manifest in the social structure of a society. While working towards this end, Durkheim developed and made use of a variety of sociological concepts. Collective representations is one of the leading concepts to be found in the social thought of Durkheim. Before learning about ‘collective representations’ it is necessary that you understand what Durkhe...

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