Sociology Optional (Fundamentals of Sociology as a Discipline) by Smriti Rao

Model Answer

Question #1. "The fascination of sociology lies in the fact that its perspectives make us see, in a new light, the very world in which we have lived our lives". In the light of the above statement analyze the relationship between common sense and sociology

Approach:

• In the intro itself mention the name of thinker who has given the statement if you know

or with the brief interpretation of the statement in your words

• In the body Establish a link between Sociology and common sense again with the help of thinker. Like CW Mills
• Outline the differences and similarities between common sense and sociology.
• Quote examples for better differention and lucidity in the language
• In conclusion you may include how Common Sense helps in non positivist methods too in providing data for analysis however in and by of itself it isn’t a science.

Hints:

Sociology is a combination of common-sense, statistical inquiry and social theory and provides a distinct, view of what is going on .Sociological Imagination, a concept established by C. Wright Mills provides a framework for understanding our social world that far surpasses any common sense notion we might derive from our limited social experiences.  Many people believe they understand the world and the events taking place within it, even though they have not actually engaged in a systematic attempt to understand the social world, as sociologists do. Therefore, Peter Berger says:--

“The fascination of Sociology lies in the fact that its perspective makes us see, in a new light, the very world in which we have lived our lives”.

Sociology and Common sense:

Weber defines common sense as a routine knowledge that people have of their everyday world and activities. It may be based on observations and experiences, or on ignorance, prejudice and mistaken interpretation. Sociology attempts to understand social phenomena using empiricism, objectivity and verificationism, and build cause effect relationships. Common sense is unreflective and does not question its own origins.

• Common sense is based upon assumptions, sociology is based on evidences. Sociological knowledge is based upon thorough research and the resulting outcomes may be contrary to the common sense.
• Sociology uses reason and logic, common sense uses conjectures and stereotypical beliefs. Common sense views are often based upon images that get reinforced through tradition. Sociological knowledge on the other hand challenges these traditions and stereotypes. Further, sociology is not bound by single perspective.
• Sociological knowledge results into generalization and even theory building. Common sense knowledge on the other hand may be very personal and two persons may draw different conclusion of a same event based on their own common sense
• Empirical testing has no place in common sense knowledge, while sociological research may have empirical orientation. Common sense knowledge is often individualistic and naturalistic
• Common sense is unreflective since it does not question its own origins, while sociological knowledge is subjected to unending debates and discourse.

Common sense is based on naturalistic or individualistic explanations. It fails to recognize that behavior patterns are not biologically determined but rather reflect social conventions and culture, learned through socialization, and gives no importance to the wider social forces that act on an individual.

Example: Naturalistic explanation of poverty -- people are poor because they are afraid of work, come from ‘problem families’ are unable to budget properly, suffer from low IQ and shiftlessness. Sociological explanation--- contemporary poverty is caused by the structure of inequality in class society and is experienced by those who suffer from chronic irregularity of work and low wages.

However, there are a few similarities and complementarities between the two also. Firstly, concepts in sociology are framed by taking into consideration the commonsensical knowledge. Common sense helps sociologists in hypothesis building. Secondly, commonsense provides raw material for sociological investigations. Sociology tends to answer questions generated from common sense knowledge. For example, common sense views on gender are widely studied in sociology. Common sense also helps sociology by challenging its conclusions and thereby enriching the discipline. According to Anthony Giddens, sociological knowledge also itself becomes part of common sense knowledge sometimes. For example – sociological research into marital breakdown has led people to believe that marriage is a risky proposition.

When discipline moved closer to positivism, common sense was almost discarded. Anti-positivist on the other hand again tried to give importance to common sense. So, the relationship between the two is dynamic and even mutually reinforcing at times.

Question #2. Examine why positivists are in favour of methods that use a scientific approach. 

Approach:

• Start with the introduction of positivism
• List out the reasons for positivists like Comte and Durkheim to favour scientific approach
• Mention the methods given by them and conclude

Hints

Positivism is an approach to create a science of society based on the same principles and procedures as the natural sciences. Classical sociologists like Auguste Comte, Spencer, Durkheim believed that behavior of man can be observed and measured objectively.

Reasons of positivists to favor scientific approach-

• Sociology emerged in the 19th century as a reaction to modernity. The spirit of rationality, popularity of science and faith in human progress impressed the earlier thinkers. They wanted to establish a discipline on the lines of rationality and empiricism
• Comte believed that scientific knowledge of society can improve human existence and release the society from the clutches of religion and superstition
• In order for the infant discipline to survive, it has to fight through common-sensical notions. Scientific approach provided sociology with its own concepts, research methods and provided a systematic way to study the social phenomenon
• Durkheim considered the aim of sociology is to establish correlations and causal analysis. Scientific approach provides the method of experimentation, multi-variate analysis to test the cause-effect relationships
• Scientific approach is considered reliable and valid, which provides inter-subjective reliability to science; a quality every discipline aspires
• Society was witnessing social order and unrest at the time of emergence of sociology. On one hand, people were celebrating modernity, while on the other hand, conservatives pushed to restore the social order. Such a paradox needed a value-free, objective approach to settle the matter
• Positivists wanted to discover the invariable laws that govern the society and make predictions. Science already does that for material world.

Sociology uses the methods of comparison, causation and indirect experimentation to achieve the traits of science like accuracy, verifiability, precision etc. Positivists are credited to ensure the very survival of sociology by making it a science