sociology and science

• What is a central feature of today’s society?

  Science
• How have science and technology impacted life?

  They revolutionized living standards and healthcare
• What project was science central to in the 18th century?

  The Enlightenment project
• What did Enlightenment thinkers believe about natural sciences?

  They would produce true, objective knowledge
• What did positivists believe about applying natural sciences to sociology?

  It would yield true, objective knowledge
• Who coined the term ‘sociology’?

  Auguste Comte
• What is a key feature of the positivist approach?

  Reality exists independently of the human mind
• What do positivists believe about nature?

  It consists of objective, observable facts
• How do positivists view society?

  As an objective factual reality
• What do positivists believe about patterns in reality?

  They are empirical and systematic
• What is the boiling point of water according to positivists?

  100 degrees Celsius
• What did 19th-century sociologists aim to achieve by modeling sociology on natural sciences?

  To produce a science of society
• What method do positivists use to discover laws in sociology?

  Inductive reasoning
• What does induction involve?

  Accumulating data through observation
• What is verificationism in the context of positivism?

  Proving a theory true through observations
• How do positivists explain observed patterns?

  By finding the facts that cause them
• What type of explanations do positivists favor?

  Macro or structural explanations
• What type of data do positivists prefer for research?

  Quantitative data
• What is the purpose of using quantitative data in positivism?

  To uncover and measure behavior patterns
• Who studied suicide to establish sociology as a science?

  Emile Durkheim
• What did Durkheim conclude about suicide rates?

  They are influenced by social facts
• What social facts did Durkheim identify as influencing suicide rates?

  Levels of integration and regulation
• What do positivists believe about researcher objectivity?

  Researchers should remain detached and objective
• What methods do positivists use to ensure objectivity?

  Quantitative methods like questionnaires
• What do interpretivist sociologists believe about sociology?

  It should not model itself on natural sciences
• What do interpretivists argue is the subject matter of sociology?

  Meaningful social action
• How do interpretivists view human actions?

  As constructed through internal meanings
• What is verstehen in interpretivism?

  Empathetic understanding of meanings
• What types of methods do interpretivists prefer?

  Qualitative methods like participant observation
• What is the difference between interactionists and phenomenologists in interpretivism?

  Interactionists accept causal explanations, phenomenologists reject them
• What do interactionists favor in their research approach?

  A bottom-up approach or grounded theory
• Who are some key figures in phenomenology and ethnomethodology?

  Garfinkel
• What do phenomenologists argue about human behavior?

  It cannot be explained by external causes
• What do interactionists believe about causal explanations?

  They believe causal explanations are possible.
• Why do interactionists reject the positivist view of research?

  It risks distorting the actors' viewpoint.
• Who argued against having a definite hypothesis before research?

  Glaser and Strauss
• What approach do Glaser and Strauss favor in research?

  A 'bottom-up' approach or grounded theory.
• How do ideas emerge in grounded theory?

  From observations made during research.
• What do phenomenologists and ethnomethodologists reject?

  The possibility of causal explanations.
• According to phenomenologists, what is society based on?

  Shared meanings or knowledge of its members.