Core themes - 4.1.3 Theory and Methods: the nature of science and the…

The idea

Evaluating if sociology is a science requires defining the nature of science. Positivists argue sociology is scientific, using quantitative methods to uncover objective laws, as Durkheim did using statistics to find causal relationships in suicide. Interpretivists argue humans possess consciousness, meaning sociology cannot be scientific; it requires qualitative methods to uncover subjective meanings. Popper defines science through falsification, arguing sociology is largely unscientific because its theories cannot be proven wrong. Kuhn suggests science requires a shared paradigm, making sociology pre-scientific due to competing perspectives. Realists argue sociology is a science studying open systems where variables cannot be strictly controlled.

What earns the marks

• Identify the positivist view that sociology is a science because it uses inductive reasoning and verification to discover objective laws of human behaviour.
• Recognise the interpretivist view that sociology cannot be a science because human beings have free will and construct meanings, unlike natural matter.
• Apply Karl Popper's concept of falsification to explain why some sociological theories may be considered unscientific if they cannot be proven wrong.
• Use Thomas Kuhn's concept of paradigms to evaluate sociology as a pre-scientific discipline that currently lacks a single unifying framework.
• Explain the realist perspective that sociology is a science because it studies open systems where underlying structures cause observable effects, even if variables cannot be controlled.

Common mistakes and how to put them right

• Assuming all sociologists want sociology to be a science.

  Put it right: Interpretivists actively reject the scientific model, arguing it is inappropriate for studying conscious human beings.

• Confusing verificationism with falsificationism.

  Put it right: Verificationism seeks evidence to prove a theory true, whereas falsificationism seeks evidence to prove a theory wrong.

• Stating that Kuhn believes sociology is currently a science.

  Put it right: Kuhn argues sociology is pre-scientific because it is characterised by competing perspectives rather than a single shared paradigm.

Exam tips

• When evaluating whether sociology is a science, explicitly define what 'science' means according to different theorists such as Popper, Kuhn, and realists.
• Use Durkheim's study of suicide as a concrete example of a positivist attempt to establish sociology as a science using quantitative data.
• Contrast closed systems, like laboratory experiments in physics, with open systems, like society, when discussing the realist view of science.