Sociology as Science

• Why was Durkheim interested in the study of suicide?

  To understand social influences on behavior
• When did Durkheim notice suicide rates increase?

  During periods of social change
• How do suicide rates in Britain compare to Italy?

  Higher in Britain than in Italy
• How do suicide rates in Denmark compare to the UK?

  Higher in Denmark than in the UK
• What are the reasons Durkheim identified for suicide?

  • Individualism
  • Excessive hope
  • Freedom
  • Atheism
• What are social facts according to Durkheim?

  External factors that control individuals
• Why should sociology be considered a science?

  It uses scientific methods to study society
• What terms should be included in the summary for sociology as a science?

  • Inductive logic
  • Laws of succession
  • Laws of coexistence
  • Durkheim
  • Comte
  • Scientific method
  • Social facts
  • Empiricism
  • Objectivity
• What is Karl Popper's view on sociology as a science?

  It should be subject to falsification
• What hypothesis does sociology need to test according to Popper?

  Suicide is caused by insufficient regulation
• Why did Popper reject Marxism?

  It was too abstract to measure
• What is the deductive method?

  Starts with a theory and tests it
• What is the inductive method?

  Starts with evidence to form a theory
• How does interpretivism differ from positivism?

  It focuses on micro-scale social interactions
• What does Weber's concept of verstehen emphasize?

  Understanding society from people's perspectives
• Why do interpretivists argue sociology cannot be a science?

  It relies on subjective understanding
• What do phenomenologists and ethnomethodologists reject?

  Causal explanations of social behavior
• What are paradigms according to Kuhn?

  Norms within the scientific community
• What happens during a paradigm shift?

  Findings contradict existing norms
• How does Kuhn view sociology's status as a science?

  It behaves like it's in pre-science stage
• What do postmodernists argue about dominant theories?

  They lead to metanarratives and falsify views
• What is the realist view on sociology as a science?

  Some sciences have uncontrollable variables
• What is the definition of science?

  A set of principles for valid knowledge
• What is empiricism in scientific research?

  Knowledge gained through observing phenomena
• What is objectivity in scientific research?

  Avoiding personal bias in research
• How is empirical knowledge obtained?

  Through experiments testing variable relationships
• What happens to theories that are repeatedly tested?

  They become accepted as scientific knowledge
• What does sociology aim to discover?

  Laws that shape behavior in society
• What are the laws of co-existence in sociology?

  Relationships between parts of society
• What are the laws of succession in sociology?

  Laws governing social change
• What is inductive logic?

  Reasoning from specific facts to general conclusions
• How did Durkheim use inductive reasoning?

  To draw conclusions from suicide statistics
• What did Durkheim believe about sociology's scientific status?

  Comte failed to establish it as a science