Sociology Is Not A Science Essay

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Recommended: Differences between natural sciences and social science

I will be arguing that Sociology is not a natural, strong science, although I believe it is still a science. Sociology being a science or not depends on what is meant by the word science. I believe that Sociology cannot be a science if looking at it from a natural, physical science perspective. Although, I think that sociology is a science if trying to understand it from a social science perspective. Using methods from common sense and ideology is what differentiates both social and natural science from non-science. Respectable sociology is logically derived from experiential proof (McNeill and Chapman, 2005: Pg.185).

"The purpose of Sociology is the scientific study of human society through the investigation of people’s social behaviour". Giner ("Sociology", 1972)

“Scientism is a term to suggest the firm application of the principles of science to the social world, so that an inflexible and inappropriate sociology is developed.” (Lawson, Garrod and Lawson, 2001: Pg. 446.) Sociology is a complex mixture different perspectives. Many sociologists reject the thought that they are able to follow sociological questions through firmly empiricist, natural science methods. (Brunsma, Iyall Smith and Gran, 2013: pg. 412) Ideology is used to show a systematic set of beliefs that support the interest of selected social groups in society (Garrod and Lawson, 2001: pg. 224).

Sociologists who are positivists believe that sociology has many of the features of science. Positivism shares many similarities to the practical research methods used by scientists, for example, it’s collection of data. (Ross, 1953 pg. 22) The main positivist belief is that the role of the sociologist is merely to collect data that they are able to objectively observe, ...

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..., Max Weber, quoted; "Sociology is a science which attempts at interpretative understanding of social action in order thereby to arrive at a causal explanation of its cause and effects".

Overall, it can be argued either way whether sociology is a science or not. I believe that there is more sociological evidence to suggest that sociology is a form of social science, although not a strong, natural, physical science.
The study of society cannot be as precise, as natural and physical sciences can be. But it is false to say that there is no chance of sociology being a science. In my opinion, if the research methods, tools and techniques used are scientific then sociology can be perceived as science. Sociologists use different scientific methods in the study of society. I have mostly a positivistic view on sociology and I believe it should be entitled to be a science.

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