value freedom

• values = beliefs, opinion prejudices that everyone holds and are influenced by our class, gender, ethnicity and experiences
• relativism = that there is no independent way to judge if one view is more true than any other
• Positivists and value freedom

  • DURKHEIM
  • COMTE
  • MARX
• Positivists and value freedom

  • the study of society should not be a matter of subjective values or personal opinions about what is best
  • should focus on uncovering the truth about how society works and uncovering the laws governing its proper function
  • sociologist = objective and value free - so they can say with scientific certainty what is best for society and would be able to prescribe how things should be
• Value laden sociology

  GOMM

  • a value free sociology is impossible - idea is unsociological
  • sociologists react to political, economic and social events
  • what is seen as a political or social issue, a social problem is dependent on the power of different groups to define and shape reality - what is worthy of research
  • important to look ar what sociologists do not investigate - as they are not immune to ideological hegemony
• Value laden sociology - areas where sociology cannot be value free

  1. choice of subject or topic
  2. funding
  3. methodology
• Value laden sociology - areas where sociology cannot be value free

  CHOICE OF SUBJECT OR TOPIC

  • this can be subject not only to the values of the researcher themselves but also by those in political power
• Value laden sociology - areas where sociology cannot be value free

  FUNDING

  • the source of the funding to complete the research may come with ideological ties to how the data is interpreted
• Value laden sociology - areas where sociology cannot be value free

  METHODOLOGY

  • the choice of the method can be influenced by the perspective stance the research takes
• committed sociology - sociologists shouldn't just spell out their values in their research but should also take sides and espouse the values and interests of certain groups
• committed sociology

  • GOULDNER
  • BECKER
  • FEMINISTS
• committed sociology

  GOULDNER

  • value free sociology is both impossible and undesirable
  • impossible because a sociologists own values or those of their paymasters are inevitably going to be reflected in their research
  • undesirable since without values to guide research sociologists are simply selling their services to the highest bidder
• committed sociology

  BECKER

  • it is inevitable that sociologists take sides and that they should take the side of the underdog rather that that of the powerful
  • partly because less is known about theses groups but also because their stories need to be told in order to redress the balance
• committed sociology

  FEMINISTS

  • conduct their research entirely based on their values and political opinions
  • they argue that sociology should be driven by the desire to make society better and should be used to expose the injustice of patriarchy
• value freedom - WEBER

  • sociology cannot be completely value free but there are elements which can be
  • he makes a distinction between facts and value judgements
  • a fact can be proven or disproved by evidence whereas value judgements cannot be proven or disproven
• areas where sociology can be value free - WEBER

  1. data collection

  • argues that the collection of data should be objective and unbiased
  • the questions asked should not be leading and researchers should not aim to get the respondents to answer in anyway that reflects their ideas
  • he states a hypothesis must stand or fall solely on whether or not it fits the observer facts
• area where sociology cannot be value free

  1. choice of topic

  • values play an important role in selecting the area of research as it is a reflection on what they feel is important and worthy of study

  .

  2. Interpretation of data

  • facts need to have a theoretical framework - to see the significance of the data and draw conclusions
  • this framework will be based around individual values and beliefs