tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4058766287077382431.post9169737191020764215..comments2024-03-23T04:01:39.348-04:00Comments on Understanding Society: What do we want from sociology?Dan Littlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15953897221283103880noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4058766287077382431.post-79954073021975540652016-06-16T21:35:25.636-04:002016-06-16T21:35:25.636-04:00Very insightfulVery insightfulAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06186384471972273583noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4058766287077382431.post-4198490429490832682010-02-21T20:07:55.914-05:002010-02-21T20:07:55.914-05:00Theory, empirical, analysis? Sounds pretty positiv...Theory, empirical, analysis? Sounds pretty positivistic to me. Positive physics envy. Just kidding.. what I mean is that any field looking for an analytical framework that produces theories with general (or limited) applicability from empirical observation/inference is part and parcel of the positivist project. Indeed sociology is extra-positivistic due to its intense adhesion to empirical methods and allergy to grand theory (hopefully, at least, with may lessons learned). <br /><br />All it takes is to include human nature in the broadest sense into the empirical materials of positivism, discarding the primitive disparagement of human emotions, etc. that was the hallmark of positivism and scientism a century ago.Burkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11158223475895530397noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4058766287077382431.post-45405123568071908432010-02-21T19:08:41.563-05:002010-02-21T19:08:41.563-05:00I enjoy this argument so i'm sorry if this is ...I enjoy this argument so i'm sorry if this is long! <br /><br />There is a lot of new theory that has come about as we switched from the development project to the globalization project, as we switched from second wave feminism to third wave feminism. The problem for post-positivist sociology is that while we know that the world has changed, is changing, and will keep changing, all of the theories before these changes have stuck around while all of the new theories have conflated those old ones.<br /><br />What you describe is a reconfiguration of the politically minded sociology that most people wish existed but maintain does not due to the anti-marxian ideas of Weber and Durkheim. We struggle to remain separate while admitting we are not to peers. To reconfigure this idea invites in some rather unpleasant realities through which this new sociology has to approach. <br /><br />First, society exists without us. Second, society as it is now is based on profit and infinite growth. Third, Sociology must move to meet these ideas on their own turf. We already know what happens within that sphere as we have been talking about it since industrialization began. <br /><br />We would move from disconnected scientists to politically minded activists. We would require money to do such activism. Who is to say that we wouldn't simply change our data or act on false data simply because the career of a sociologist, a lifestyle, is in danger? <br /><br />Even in the still very prominent positivist tradition, the corruption of seeking tenure pressures some into falsifying data. One could also argue that within our frames, people do not act, rather, they are pawns for us to do with as we like (functionalism, conflict, symbolic interactionism, etc).<br /><br />Empiricism and experimentation are something connected to the positivistic ways that many of us wish would go away. To claim post-positivism whilst looking to reclassify the old methods does not cause change, but does the same thing we have been doing as the world develops. <br /><br />To me, it is time to rethink in its entirety, what it means to study society. Sociology is very good at description, very good at gathering generalities from large samples, perhaps this should be good enough.Nick LaLonehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14201265349058506952noreply@blogger.com