Value free (objective)

• Early positivists like Durkheim argue that we can improve society by studying it in an objective manner to uncover patterns (laws) of how society operates. E.g. his study on suicide using official statistics uncovered that lack of social integration led to higher rates of suicide via looking at the suicide rates for different social groups.
• Marx described his theory as scientific socialism and looked at the course of human history to uncover facts and patterns which have led to social change (historical materialism).

  He used these patterns to predict a communist revolution.

  Society so far as Marx described has consisted of:

  Primitive communism (classless) -> Ancient Society (based on slavery) -> Feudal society ( based on exploitation of serfs) -> Capitalism (based on exploitation of the proletariat)
• Later Positivists like present day researchers typically hire themselves out organisations and carry out research on their behalf, therefore abandon their values to research (whereas in the past their own values were used to choose the research topic).
• AO3 to early Positivists

  Early positivists weren't always value free. Durkheim had a close friend lose their life to suicide which influenced his choice of topic.
• AO3 to Marx

  Marx had his own 'values', seeing communism as a good thing.
• A03 to Later Positivists

  Later positivists values don't disappear but simply change from researching topics they care about to researching for financial gain
• General AO3 to value freedom

  It is paradoxical to state that values shouldn't enter sociological research, because this is also a value (an opinion).