Topic 7: Objectivity and values in sociology

• Value free


  Researchers' beliefs do not influence research
• Not value free


  Sociologists' personal beliefs do influence the research
• Early Positivists - Comte and Durkheim


  • Believe sociology is value free
  • Argue wanting a better society is not a personal belief but what is "best" for all
• Sociology models natural science


  • Objective truth through scientific means
  • Makes reliable data
• Positivists


  • Use quantitative methods
  • Personal beliefs do not enter research
  • Results can be repeated
• Early Positivists - Marx and Weber


  • Believe sociology is value free
• Marx


  • Data collection methods considered value free
  • Theory that proletariat would overthrow capitalism
• Weber


  • Accepted scientific approaches
  • Focused on verstein (stepping in someone's shoes) and meanings
  • Individuals view the world from a value-laden perspective
• Value relevance


  Value of the researcher will influence their choice of topic
• Weber


  • Sociologists should bring their values into research to make others aware of bias
  • Actual process of data collection and testing hypotheses must be objective, value free and unbiased
• Modern Positivists


  • Researchers shouldn't influence research
  • Desire to appear scientific
  • Social position of sociology
• Committed sociologists


  • Cannot be value free
  • Sociologists do not "spell out" their values but they do take sides in promoting their own values and interests of particular groups
• Alvin Gouldner


  Objectivity is ideal but difficult to achieve so all sociologists are prone to bias particularly their study
• Interpretivist sociologists


  • Values should be expressed in choice of topic
  • They should interpret findings in research
• Howard Becker


  • His values are always presented in his studies
  • Sociologists should declare the side they are on
  • This side is usually the underdog - the oppressed and the underclass
• Sociology should be committed to change society by examining these
• Reasons why sociology should be value free

  • Most researches are funded by someone e.g. the government
  • They often play a role in the direction of where the research will go
  • The interpretation of data is different for everyone based on their background, upbringing etc- all of this affects data
  • Values about how society should be - marxist, feminists and functionalists all view the world in different ways this will influence their research and the concepts they develop and conclusions made
• Relativism


  • Relative truth is diverse and there is no such thing
  • This means sociology does not need to be scientific
• Postmodernism


  • Lyotard suggests that society is suspicious of meta narratives and no meta narratives can claim to be the absolute truth
  • A postmodern society should reflect this ideas and various stories and values should be able to entre