AQA A2 SCY5 - Sociology as Science

Hi everyone,

Just thought it may be a good idea to collectively generate a form of checklist for the sociology as a science debate. You may not include everything on the list, but may help in terms of revision and structuring an essay!

I'll start off with some key points and maybe you can add to it by replying, then I'll keep editing it :smile:

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The Englightenment

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Auguste Comte

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Karl Popper - Falsification

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Thomas Kuhn - Scientific Paradigms

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Kaplan - Reconstructed Logics/Logics in Use

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Michael Lynch - In support of Kaplan

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Positivism - Objective, Observable Social Facts.

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Durkheim's study of suicide

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Interpretivism - Verstehen, Weber

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Realists - Sayer, Bhaskar, Keat and Urry

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Feminism and male dominated science/methods

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Postmodernists - Metanarratives and fragmented opinnion

---EDIT--- Ok so I've kick started the revision notes on this website, whether anyone will read it is another matter but it certainly helped me to get it all out there. Feel free to cut/copy/edit any of it. Find it by clicking here.

Reply 1

Jamsie_853

Kaplan - Reconstructed logic and logic in use, scientists differ in their actual methods and how they write up their reports, posing a threat to validity.
Supported by Michael Lynch, who found that scientists were not actively trying to falsify their theories.

Anderson, Hughes and Sharrock criticise Kuhn for readily assuming that scientists have a natural consensus between them.

Feminists see sociology as being a science as everything they go against. Sociology is about being value committed, Hammersley (1992), methods need to break down the hierarchal division, treat women equally and diminish androcentric bias. Typical methods used include focus groups, ethnography and unstrucutured interviews. Ann Oakley (1981) is your girl here.

Postmodernists would argue that viewing sociology as a science encourages the belief in 'meta-narratives.' Whereas, according to them, society is characterised as being fragmentated and relative due to individuals subjective interpretations. Therefore, viewing sociology to be a science only encourrages one particular opinion.