modern positivists

• what did 20th century positivists argue sociologists should be?


  value free
• why did they want to be value free?


  -wanted to appear scientific

  -science is concerned with matters of fact, not value
• by the 20th century many sociologists were what?

  'hiring hands'

  -helped organisations solve their problems

  -own values were irrelevant
• AO3 : Gouldner 


  -criticises sociologists own values being irrelevant

  -'spiritless technicians'
• Weber's response to Gouldner


  -they're just doing their job
• why might it be difficult to remain value-free?


  funding careers :

  > most research is funded by government

  > whoever pays for research may control its direction and the questions asked
• why might it be difficult to main value free?

  values, perspectives & methods :

  > for Gouldner all research is inevitably influenced by values

  > choice of topic, concepts, methods, conclusions
• value freedom vs value commitment

  Myrdal & Gouldner 


  -argue it's not only impossible, but also undesirable to be value-free in research

  -sociologists should be value committed > openly 'taking sides' by embracing values & interests of groups

  -being value free, sociologists are 'researchers-for-rent' selling their services
• value freedom vs value commitment

  Becker : 'Whose Side Are We On Anyway?'


  -agrees with Gouldner that all sociology is influenced by values

  -positivist sociology often takes viewpoint of the powerful

  -so whose side are we on?

  -need to look at the underdogs and other powerless groups to reveal new dimension to social reality
• example of positivist sociology taking viewpoint of the powerful


  -official statistics > come from powerful groups

  > crime : comes from police, courts

  > mental illness : comes from hospitals, doctors, prisons

  -powerful groups able to define crime, mental illness etc.

  -able to attach labels to someone in society
• Whose Side Are We On Anyway? - AO3 : Gouldner 


  -argues it's not enough to describe the underdog's life

  -we must be committed to ending their oppression