Is Sociology a Science?

Is sociology a science?

No	15.3%	[ 15 ]
Yes	60.2%	[ 59 ]
Gold	24.5%	[ 24 ]
Total Votes:			[ 98 ]

[Lucky~9~Lives]

This question has been plaguing me for the best part of the afternoon...I just assumed sociology was a science - the science of group-behaviour - but now that I think about it, that basically falls under the remit of social psychology. Anyway, does sociology actually have predictive power (does it need to to be a science?), or is it basically just generalizing and giving names to trends in human history?

[Aspasia Sariel]

I think that sociology as a science will always fall under context. There are approaches that are very scientific, using statistical data to make decisions about more concrete concepts, like that of population growth. The impact of infrastructure, for example could be measured and made quantitative. From what I understand of it, society likes order - so people examine what can be modeled in a disciplined manner.

However, physics it is not...I was taught that it's a soft science. I can't be sure I agree with the term, but I think it all boils down to approach. If the approach follows and remains in the realm of the replicable and observable, I'm going to call it a science.

[Edited for typos]

[Lucky~9~Lives]

Aspasia Sariel

I think that sociology as a science will always fall under context. There are approaches that are very scientific, using statistical data to make decisions about more concrete concepts, like that of population growth. The impact of infrastructure, for example could be measures and made quantitative. From what I understand of it, society likes order - so people examine what can be modeled in a disciplined manner.

However, physics it is not...I was taught that it's a soft science. I can't be sure I agree with the term, but I think it all boils down to approach. If the approach follows and remains in the realm of the replicable and observable, I'm going to call it a science.

Yeah, you have a point. I was taught that there is a scientific approach, an interpretive approach, and a critical approach.
- sweatdrop

Although, what do you mean by 'replicable'?

[Aspasia Sariel]

Lucky~9~Lives

Yeah, you have a point. I was taught that there is a scientific approach, an interpretive approach, and a critical approach.
- sweatdrop

Although, what do you mean by 'replicable'?

You know, I find it is not as easy to articulate that as I thought it would be. By replicable, if a sociologist examines the life expectancy of an infant at birth based on where they're born, whatever correlation the sociologist may be examining, their data should be unbiased and then any other person examining that data should have similar results.

[Lucky~9~Lives]

Aspasia Sariel

You know, I find it is not as easy to articulate that as I thought it would be. By replicable, if a sociologist examines the life expectancy of an infant at birth based on where they're born, whatever correlation the sociologist may be examining, their data should be unbiased and then any other person examining that data should have similar results.

Hmm, I think I see. Thanks for your input! ^_^

[Shaow Author]

Yes, it is a science. The suffix "-ology" immediatly places sociology in a broad scientific category.

[Lucky~9~Lives]

Shaow Author

Yes, it is a science. The suffix "-ology" immediatly places sociology in a broad scientific category.

Is astrology a science?
- confused

[Karma Rei]

Psychology and Sociology are sciences but they are soft sciences. From my best understanding hard sciences (like Biology, Chemistry, etc.) are sciences that can prove things. For example, water will always equal HOH. Sociology and Psychology can never prove anything. (Don't let people fool you and say that it can.) It can, however, find statistical probabilities. They still have to use the scientific method to test things.

[eccentricanomaly]

It's under the "Social Studies" section on my corse selection sheet.
I want to take that class, but it probably won't fit my schedule.
I actually don't really know that much about it, though.

[Karma Rei]

eccentricanomaly

It's under the "Social Studies" section on my corse selection sheet.
I want to take that class, but it probably won't fit my schedule.
I actually don't really know that much about it, though.

That's true, but most college also divide up the hard sciences into categories like Biology. Physics. (it scares me that astronomy is under physics...)

[Aspasia Sariel]

Karma Rei

Psychology and Sociology are sciences but they are soft sciences. From my best understanding hard sciences (like Biology, Chemistry, etc.) are sciences that can prove things. For example, water will always equal HOH. Sociology and Psychology can never prove anything. (Don't let people fool you and say that it can.) It can, however, find statistical probabilities. They still have to use the scientific method to test things.

Neither Sociology nor Psychology are meant to prove anything. I don't think anyone has ever claimed something of that nature. In fact, the methods of determining the statistics has nothing to do with the soft sciences and everything to do with mathematics. A statistician would preform that kind of work. Don't get me wrong, I can go along with the concept of sociology as a soft science (I think I actually referenced it as that earlier) - but if one is using the scientific method, its rather difficult to dismiss something entirely as a science. Proof, I believe, usually resides in the realm of mathematics, rather than in the hard sciences. We simply don't prove things in hard sciences - it isn't scientific to do so!

To those of you who haven't take a course on it, I approached sociology with my nose in the air, having focused on the hard sciences (started with physics, but finished my degree with mathematics) - and I must say its a hell of an interesting class. The class on the intro level would be an overview of society and social interactions. I do think that having a strong mathematical background is what made me enjoy it but there are many facets to the course.

[Synnthetika]

Sociology uses the scientific method, however, it differs from the "hard" sciences like physics, chemistry, and biology.

In those "hard" sciences, things are observed, recorded, and analyzed. In the sciences of sociology and psychology, things must first be subjective defined (operational definition), evaluated, and reasoned out. While numbers are involved, statistics, it's the interpretation of such that causes these "soft" sciences to sometimes be disputed.

When you record gravity, for instance: you drop a ball, you measure the distance and time, and you can write down what was observed and relate it to some other ball that was dropped.

When you record personality and drugs: you find a group of people who are as similar as you can get them, you define what traits you are studying, you have subjective analysis on what their treatment was, then you have to subjectively connect the perceived dots as to what it all means. Sometimes without any prior data.

So I think that's why it's sometimes not viewed as a science. I think it is a science, just not the same type, perhaps a better title would be "subjective science."

[Lucky~9~Lives]

Aspasia Sariel

Proof, I believe, usually resides in the realm of mathematics, rather than in the hard sciences. We simply don't prove things in hard sciences - it isn't scientific to do so!

Then what do we do - demonstrate? Conceptualize? Predict?

[Aspasia Sariel]

Lucky~9~Lives

Then what do we do - demonstrate? Conceptualize? Predict?

Theorize.

[Suougibma]

All forms of psychology and sociology are very soft sciences simply because they are very, VERY new as far as a scientific study is concerned. Not to mention half the problem in both of them is figuring out exactly how to measure something that we don't really have much of a reference point for. Though I would defiantly say it's a science, it's not like your just walking around poking stuff with a stick and saying because you poked it, it has magical healing properties.

eccentricanomaly

It's under the "Social Studies" section on my corse selection sheet.
I want to take that class, but it probably won't fit my schedule.
I actually don't really know that much about it, though.

Depending on the class you'll either be quantifying a ton and a half of data, or you'll be running around doing silly things, such as the free hugs video on youtube, or just watching how people interact in general.