1. Sociology & Science:
Sociology is often referred to as a ‘Social Science’ but can it truly be classified as a science? Scientific methodology can be used to study plants & animals but can we study people in the same way? This topic looks at this debate by looking at when and why sociologists began to see sociology as a science & how other sociologists argue that sociology should not be a science. This is an important argument as Scientific Research tends to be given more Funding & Prestige than any other type of research.
Your Learning Objectives for this topic are as follows. You Should:
> Know the difference between Positivist & Interpretivist views of whether Sociology can be a Science & be able to apply this issue to the study of suicide.
> Know a range of views on Natural Science & their implications for Sociology as Science..
> Be able to evaluate the arguments For & Against the view that Sociology can or should be a Science.

2. Sociology & Science: Science: Sociology:
‘A particular body of knowledge obtained by systematic, objective observation & testing’.
Science:
Sociology:
‘The study of social (Individual & Group) behaviour, especially in relation to the development or changing of societies & social institutions’.
> In what ways are Science & Sociology differ?
Sci.
Soc.
At face value Science & Sociology are very different disciplines & thus incompatible:
> Science is essentially the study of observable, physical, measurable ‘hard facts’ e.g. Bacteria
> Sociology leans more toward the interpretation of (often) subjective, invisible phenomena e.g. Social Class
Despite this there is a school of thought within sociology that argues that sociology can be studied using scientific methodology i.e. that Sociology is a ‘Science’ just like Physics, Biology or Chemistry……

3. Durkheim describes this Positivist thinking well when he says that Society is made up of ‘Social Facts’ & it is the job of the Social Scientist to discover real, measurable laws & patterns of society & behaviour.
Social Class is a good example of a ‘Social Fact’ that governs society (just like gravity governs nature). It is observable, measurable & has very real causal effects on Society & Individuals.
Emile Durkheim (1858– 1917)
Positivists argue that in order to explain the Social World, Sociologists, just like Scientists, must apply Induction (Accumulating Information) in order to apply Deductive Logic to their studies.
Deduction
Induction (Accumulating Information)
then
X + Y = Z (Patterns to be deduced)
Allows for
MACRO
Micro
Individuals (and their social world) are governed by objective, external social facts/ reality – they are thus Passive.
When patterns are found between social facts, theories can be formulated that predict future behaviour i.e. we then have a ‘General Law’ of society. This theory is then open to verification or refutation.

4. > A Phenomena is Observed
Wherever possible, Positivists believe that the ‘Experimental’ / ‘Hypothetico-Deductive’ Method should be applied to the study of society:
> A Phenomena is Observed
Macro, Value-Free, Quantitative, Formal, Structured, Empirical Methodology.
> A Hypothesis is Formulated
> An Experiment is set up to test the Hypothesis
(Control Group/ Experimental Group)
(Key Variables are Controlled & Changed one at a time)
> Effects of Variable Changes are Observed & Noted
> Data is collected, organised and quantified
> Conclusions are drawn (Objective/ Value-Free)
> Hypothesis is Accepted or Rejected
> A Theory is Formulised
> Other researchers scrutinise the theory

5. Mayhew & Rowntree famously collected Government Statistics on Income/Drugs/Education/ Poverty/ Crime etc. in late 18th/ early 19th century. These act as a good example of the Positivist mind-set in action i.e. looking for casual relationships between social facts in order to understand society.
Emile Durkheim (1858– 1917)
‘Le Suicide’ (1897):
Durkheim applied this Positivist thinking to his study of Suicide. Using the Comparative Method he looked for causal relationships between the statistics to see what factors (Social Facts) lead to Suicide (Another Social Fact).
Finding higher rates of Suicide amongst Protestants compared to Catholics (across different countries), Durkheim concluded that Suicide on this scale & consistency could not be the impact of individual motives.
Instead he argued that it was caused by external social facts acting on the individual (i.e. the individual remained passive and was effectively ‘forced’ to commit suicide due to external influences).
Durkheim argued that it was the levels of integration into & regulation by society that caused suicide. The Catholic religion integrates & regulates individuals better than Protestantism.

6. What does the Scientific Community Make of these Positivist ‘Sociology as a Science’ Claims?
…..they don’t agree. They argue that Science is Unique.
Empirical:
Science is:
> Objects are Physical & Measurable.
Sociology is not Empirical as it tries to measure invisible phenomena, some of which cannot be measured e.g. Religion & Faith /Social Class.
Positivist Response:
Durkheim: Social Facts
As we have seen Durkheim argues that there are external, independent, ‘Real Things’ that exist in the social world that can be observed & measured e.g. Social Class, Language, Religion etc.
Marx: The Capitalist Structure is a Social Fact
Marx argues that the Capitalist Economic Structure exists independently of individuals, it is very real & can be observed & measured.

7. > Science seeks out Causal Relationships which relies on phenomena being predictable e.g. the movement of the planets.
Theoretical:
Sociology is not as it studies different societies & different individuals which are unpredictable & therefore no causal, predictive relationships can be found.
Positivist Response:
Durkheim: Groups are Predictable
Durkheim concedes that Individuals cannot be predicted but argues that Group behviour can. He uses his study of suicide to show how it can be predicted that Suicide is caused by the levels of integration/ regulation of particular groups e.g. Protestants vs. Catholics..
Another useful example might be that it can be predicted that the W/C are more likely to experience Educational Failure & Poverty.

8. Objective: Cumulative:
> No room for personal bias, preferences, bias. It is Value-Free
Sociology is not, anything social is Subjective & Value-Free as it is created by Value-Biased Individuals.
Positivist Response:
Durkheim: The Hypothetico-Deductive Method
Sociology can be Value-Free as long as the Hypothetico-Deductive Method is followed strictly. This was again showed in Durkheim’s use of the Comparative Method in his study of Suicide (See Slide Five)
Cumulative:
> Knowledge builds on old knowledge – Linear Progression.
Cannot disagree with Positivism.

9. > Knowledge is open to Verification. It is an Open-System.
Testable:
Everything ‘Social’ is Value-Laden & Biased & therefore Sociological Research is always Biased & full of Values. As such knowledge is free to objective verification/ refutation.
Once a theory is put together it is open to verification/ refutation from other theories. This accounts for the differences between Functionalism & Marxism. Both are looking at the same social structure but both have different views – each theory is wide open to testing & re-testing.
Positivist Response:
Durkheim: Functionalism
Marx: Marxism
It seems therefore that, from a Positivist point of view, Sociology passes all of the ‘Scientific Criteria’ & should therefore be classed as a Science. We will now examine some critique of these Positivist Ideas….