Can Sociology be a Science - One Minute Sociology

Today we are going to keep it short and sweet. 

Can Sociology be a science? This often comes up in exams and it is a topic that students struggle with so lets get straight to the point. 







The case for 'yes'

- Positivists like Durkheim and Comte believe Sociology can be a science and that society can be studied scientifically, applying methods from other sciences to the study of people. They believe that people are not free agents and their behaviour is influenced by external factors (e.g. the structures of society) and therefore their behaviour can be analysed and measured using methods from other sciences.

- Positivists prefer to use pursue research methods that produce quantitative data such as statistics to observe and make conclusions from statistical trends, e.g. more crime is committed in working class areas.


The case for 'no'

- Interactionists claim that Sociology can not be a science because human behaviour is too diverse and unpredictable. Humans do not behave and respond like chemicals or factors in other sciences and therefore they cannot be studied scientifically. This is why they believe that Sociology cannot be a science.

- Interactionists prefer to use research methods that produce qualitative data. These methods can gather more detailed, rich information where meanings can be explored and human behaviour explained in more depth. 

- Popper claims that science focuses on inductive reasoning and should be falsifiable. Most of Sociology cannot be falsified as the topic of Sociology is still filled with debates and none of them are easily falsifiable. 

- Postmodernists argue against metanarratives and that these metanarratives claim to have a whole truth, but society is now in a postmodern phase that is characterised by choice, diversity and chaos. Not only can Sociology not be a science, but postmodernists would argue that science cannot be a science due to the extent of conflicting fields and views within it.

- Kuhn argues that science must operate within a single paradigm for it to be scientific, but Sociology does not meet this criteria as there are too many conflicting views within it. 


So I hope this helps. 









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