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Is sociology scientific ?

   Is sociology scientific ? 


  • In the early nineteenth century August comte described sociology as an emerging science that should adopt the successful and positivist methods of the natural sciences such as physics and chemistry to be successful. Durkheim, Marx, and the other founders of sociology aslo thought of sociology as a scientific subject, but today many sociologist are not so sure. "Can we really study social life in a scientific way " ? Are laud humphreys' observations on the tearooms really scientific? Before we can answer such questions we must first understand what this word means: What exactly is science ? 

  • Science involves the use of systematic methods of empirical investigation, the analysis of data, theoretical thinking and logical assessment of arguments to develop a body of knowledge about a particular subject matter. 
  • On this simple defination, sociology is a scientific endeavour because both quantitative and qualititative research does involve systematic methods of empirical investigation, the analysis of data assessment of theories in the light of evidence and logical argument in the relation to human societies. However, studying human beings is, in significant ways, very different from studying events in the physical world, which means that the social and natural science cannot be  'scientific' in identical ways. Unlike object in the nature , humans are self- aware beings who confer meaning and purpose on what they do . We cannot even describe social life accurately unless we first grasp the concepts that people apply to their own actions. For instance, to describe a death as a 'suicide' means knowing what the person in question was intending when they died. If a person steps in front of a car and is killed , an observation may suggest suicide' but suicide can only be established if we know that their action was not, in fact, an accident. Intention abd meaning are crucial explanation features to human action , which sociologist can not ignore if their accounts are to be valid. 

  • The fact that we cannot study human beings in exactly the same way as objects in nature is in some way an advantage to sociologists. Sociological researchers are able to ask question directly of those they study - other human beings - and get responses that they understand. Biologists, for instance, have no such direct access to animals whose behaviour they study and interpret. The opportunity to converse with the participants of research studies and to confirm the researcher's interpretation of participants' action means that sociological findings are, at least potentially , more reliable ( different researchers would arrive at the same result)  and valid ( the research actually measures what is it supposed to) than those in the natural scinces. However, sociological research also creates some difficulties that are not encountered by natural scicentists. People who are aware that their activities are being scruitinized may not act in the same way that they normally do, thus invalidating the conclusion of social research. People may consciously or unconsciously portray themselves in a way that differs from their usual attitudes and may even try to 'assist' the researcher by providing the responses they believe the researcher is looking for sociologist have to be aware of this problem and devise strategies to counter it in their research practice. 
  • Researcher studying the behaviour of chemicals or frogs do not have this addictional problem to deal with, and a distinction is often made between animal behaviour and human action, where the latter aslo include intentions and meanings.


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