The statement that dowry is a social evil is an objective statement which is based on facts collected by sociologists. Further Survey and revivification proves this. Sociology can also make objective study of social phenomena. New techniques and methods are also introduced to make social phenomena more objective. Like natural sciences Sociology also traces the cause and find the answers. While studying family or population growth Sociology has traced the relationship between family disorganisation and divorce and population growth and poverty.
Family disorganisation is the cause of divorce and population growth is the cause of poverty. Thus sociology describes cause-effect relationship in social disorganisation and population explosion.
Hence sociology is a science. Sociology, like natural sciences also accurately measures social phenomena or relationships. By using statistical method, socio-metric scale, scales of measurement sociology effectively and accurately measures social relationships.
Like natural sciences sociology does frame laws and attempts to predict more accurately. On the basis of cause-effect relationship sociology can accurately predict about future. If there will be dowry in society then it will lead to suicide, poverty.
Cuvier opines this predictive value of Sociology is improved day by day. As Sociology matures day by day it predicts more accurately. The notion that generalization drawn by social sciences are not universal proved wrong. Like natural sciences Sociology became able to draw generalization which is universally applicable. The concept of incest taboo-prohibited sex relationship among blood relatives is a universal truth. There are some others like Max-weber who deny the status of science to Sociology.
However, those who deny the status of science to Sociology they put forth following arguments:. Sociology cannot be called a science because it cannot maintain complete objectivity with social phenomena.
Sociologist has his own prejudice and bias hence he cannot observe his subject with complete detachment. Complete objectivity in the study of human behaviour is impossible Sociology deals with social relationships which cannot studied like physical objects.
Hence objectivity is not possible in Sociology. Sociology deals with human relationships which cannot be put to laboratory test. Natural Sciences make prediction on the basis of certain data. Hence sociology is not a science.
There are definite standards of measurement like k. Meter by which it is possible to measure things. But in Sociology we have no such measuring instruments.
Hence Sociology is not a science. Sociology deals with human behaviour and no two individual are alike. Social Phenomena is so complex and complicated and is governed by so many factors that it is really difficult to draw a conclusion which will be universally applicable. Sociology suffers from terminological inefficiency. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam.
Learn how your comment data is processed. What is a Science? It is the most influential on sociology. 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 human behaviour To be scientific, you should only study what you observe.
Questioning Sociology as Scientific Differences between society and the natural world The three criticisms below hinge on the idea that the social world is fundamentally different to the natural, physical world Social action theorists argue the social world is socially constructed You cannot understand the world, or human action without understanding the meanings people attach to their actions Some postmodernists argue you can only understand the world through language, thus there is no way to observe it directly.
Problems of prediction People have consciousness, they judge situations and how to respond to them based on their life-histories, and personal opinions, which we cannot know objectively. Thus if sociology aimed to make predictions, it would always be proved wrong. If an individual challenged the version of reality being produced, they could be dis-enrolled from the network.
Thomas Kuhn: Paradigms and Scientific Revolutions Kuhn noted that we tend to see scientists as objective and neutral, and working together to refine scientific knowledge, which is generally seen as evolving gradually, as new evidence helps to refine and develop existing theories. A paradigm is a basic world-view which provides a framework for thinking about the world. It includes basic assumptions about the nature of reality, which limit the kind of questions scientists ask in their research.
One example of this is the science surrounding climate change. According to Sutton some marginal scientists were finding evidence of a link between the burning of fossil fuels and a warming climate in the s, but this was largely dismissed by the scientific community until the s, but today this is widely accepted.
Kuhn has been criticised by Lakatos — he argues that modern science is much more open to testing new ideas today than it was in the past. Realist Views of Science and Open and Closed Systems Sayer suggests that there are two types of science — those which operate in closed systems, such as physics and chemistry, and those which operate in open systems such as meteorology. From the Reference Library. Is Sociology a Science?
Paradigms - A Third Way? Study Notes. The Case for "No" Study Notes. The Case for "Yes" Study Notes. What is Science?
0コメント