Culture
Sociology as a Science:-
A science is
a body of knowledge getting after the use of systematic methods of
investigation, theoretical thinking, experiments and the logic assessment of
arguments.
If science
is defined as knowledge which is reliable (trustworthy, objective) and
authentic (accurate) then sociology is a science that follow the systematic
method.
There are
two source of science “empirical” and “rational”.
Empirical:-
Empirical is
a study which can be verified or confirm through five senses.
Rational:-
Based On
logic reason cause affects.
Sociology is science as their result are relable
and authentic. But if science is defined as the testing of hypothesis by positivistic
methodology than sociology can hardly claim to be a science
Scope of Sociology
Scope means the subject matter
or the areas of study. Every science has its own field of inquiry. It becomes
difficult to study a science systematically unless its boundary or scope is
determined precisely. Sociology as a social science has its own scope or
boundaries. But there is no one opinion about the scope of Sociology. However,
there are two main schools of thought regarding the scope of Sociology:
(1) The Specialist or Formalistic school
(2) the Synthetic school.
The supporters of this school of
thought are George Simmel, Vierkandt, Max Weber, Vonwise, and F. Tonnies. The main
views of the school regarding the scope of Sociology are
The Specialist or Formalistic school
(i)
Sociology is a specific, pure and independent social
science.
(ii)
Sociology studies the various forms of social
relationships.
(iii)
Scope of Sociology is very narrow and limited.
(iv)
Sociology deals with specific form of human
relationship.
(v)
Sociology need not study all the events connected with
social science.
The Synthetic school:-
According to this school-
(i)
Sociology is a general and systematic social science.
(ii)
Scope of Sociology is very vast.
(iii)
Sociology needs help from other social sciences.
(iv)
It is a synthesis of social science.
(v)
Sociology is closely related with other social sciences.
As a field
of study, sociology has extremely broad scope. The major goal of sociology is
to identify underlying, recurring patterns of and influences on social
behavior. It Means sociology provides a thorough examination of the root cause
of these problems for this we used Analysis.
There are 4 Stages of Analysis:-
·
Factual Questions
·
Comparative Question
·
Developmental Questions
·
Theoretical Questions
Factual Questions:-
Being
Members of society, we all already have a certain amount of factual knowledge
about it.So Factual Analysis is the simplest way of collecting data by asking
simple (How) & (what) Questions.
For example:
How many children died in Sindh.
Disadvantage:
In This
Analysis stage we know problem only in specific area or country/city.
Comparative Question:-
If we want
to Analysis more about other cities/countries and want to compare them. We used
this Stage of Analysis.
Example:
How many
children died in Punjab as compared to Sindh. (so in this example we are
comparing 2 different provinces of Pakistan) and it is more stable result as
compared to factual analysis because we know more about results.
Developmental Questions:-
In this
stage of analysis we can get the results from past and compare them with present
data . for this we use this stage of analysis.
Example:
How many
children died in past five years in Sindh. (in this example know we can get
more detailed about results by comparing past & presents data )
Theoretical Questions:-
Sociology
does not only collect facts but also wants to know why things happens. To do so
Theoretical Stage of analysis is used . It deals with (Why) Questions.
Example:
Example:
Why more
children are died in Sindh as compared to Punjab.(in this example we consider Sindh
has more died ratio as compared to Punjab know we want to know the reason
behind it why it is happing so for this we use theoretical analysis stage.
The origin of sociology
in the United States. — Why sociology arose in the United States following the Civil War. Character of early sociology in the United States. Characterization of the sociology of the pioneers Ward, Sumner, Small, Giddings, Ross, Cooley, Thomas. Tendencies in early American sociology. Development of sociology in the United States since the pioneers. Relation of sociology to social work. Sociology as a university subject. Hesitancy to use the term “sociology” in university curricula. The progress of sociology. ——— Sociology is usually supposed to have begun with Comte. As a matter of fact, however, there were a number of presociological movements, in which certain men manifested the beginning of the sociological attitude. To a sociologist it looks as if those responsible for the abolition of slavery in the British colonies had sociological insight. Chalmers, in his objective study of dependency in his parish in Edinburgh, and in his policy based on that study, showed a sociological attitude. Pinel, who as the result of his study of the results of the traditional methods of treating the insane, struck off the restraints and adopted humane methods, attacked the problem as a modern sociologist. Beccaria, in so far as he faced frankly the effects of age-old methods of treating the criminal and suggested other methods based upon a study of results, was a sociologist. The striking thing about all of these examples is that the men mentioned adopted a new attitude in the study of social problems. A frank skepticism characterized them. They refused to accept the traditional attitudes and policies. They questioned the working of the dominant policies. They sought to understand the processes by which the observed results were brought about. That is what may be called a presociological approach to sociology. It is just fifty years since Professor Sumner at Yale gave what is usually thought of as the first course in sociology in the United States. However, Thorpe, in his Benjamin Franklin and the University of Pennsylvania, says that Professor Thompson gave such a course at that institution in 1874. As a text Sumner used Spencer’s Sociology (probably his Principles of Sociology, not his Introduction to the Study of Sociology), which was then appearing in parts. After a year or so the course disappeared to appear again about 1885 as “social science,” under which title sociology has been given at Yale to the present time. In 1881 Professor Dunstan offered a course called “social science” at Michigan. It was not until 1883 that the first American book on sociology, Lester F. Ward’s Dynamic Sociology, appeared. In 1885 Professor Woodford gave a course in sociology at Indiana. In 1889 President Albion W. Small started a small class in Sociology at Colby University. In the same year Professor Frank W. Blackmar introduced sociology at the University of Kansas. In 1890 Professor Franklin H. Giddings announced a course on “Modern Theories of Sociology” at Bryn Mawr College. In 1891 Professor Edward A. Ross gave his first course in sociology at University of Indiana. In 1892 appeared Ward’s Psychic Factors of Civilization, and in 1893 the Department of Sociology was opened at the new University of Chicago.* In 1894 a chair of sociology was established at Columbia University, and Professor Giddings was invited to occupy it. Such was the origin of sociology in the United States and its development during the first eighteen years of its history.
WHY THE RISE OF SOCIOLOGY AT THIS TIME?
How shall we account for the fact that such great interest was manifested in sociology at just this time? Were there any conditions in the life of the people of the United States which excited an interest in these questions? Were there any conditions in the world situation which contributed to this interest? It is significant that interest in sociology arose in the United States just after the Civil War. It has been suggested that the War left this country with many problems which challenged the attention of men. It had rocked the social structure of our people to its foundations. It had challenged thinking men to a reconsideration of the fundamental problems of government and social relation ships. Like every important war, the Civil War and its after-results disturbed the settled status of classes and raised questions concerning settled opinions, and to thinking minds presented the challenge of re-examining some of our fundamental notions. It was a time when social readjustment was necessary and new relationships had to be established. It was in 1865 that the American Social Science Association was formed in Boston along the lines of the British Social Science Association founded a quarter of a century before. Mr. Frank Sanborn, one of the founders of the American Social Science Association, attributes its origin to the necessity of studying these new questions raised by the Civil War.
Development of sociology:-
Humans being
have always been curious about the source of their own behavior. The systematic
study of human behavior and human society is a relatively recent development in
the west. It was the first time when people face the new social and physical
environment. The main aspects which play important role in development of
modern societies are follows:
·
Industrialization:
·
French revolutions:
Industrialization:-
Industrialization is the
process by which an economy is transformed from primarily agricultural to one
based on the manufacturing of goods. Industrialization is usually associated
with increases in total income and living standards in a society. The
Main key points are following:
1. World population crossed the limit of billion.
2. Urbanization started at mass level.
3. Introduction of machine made items rather than
hand made.
4. Transfer of main resources (education, health, facilities,
bus) from rural to urban areas.
French Revolutions:-
The
French Revolution was a watershed event in modern European history that began
in 1789 and ended in the late 1790s.the main key point of French
revolution are following:-
1. Rising social and economic inequality
2. It effected the masses and resultantly
political reforms took place in almost all over the world.
3. The same ultimately affected the societies,
culture and other aspects of social life all over the world.
Causes of the French Revolution
1. International: struggle for hegemony and Empire outstrips the fiscal resources of the state 2. Political conflict: conflict between the Monarchy and Aristocrats over the “reform” of the tax system led to paralysis and bankruptcy. 3. The Enlightenment: one variant reinforces traditional aristocratic constitutionalism, as in Montesquieu’s Spirit of the Laws (1748); Rousseau introduces new notions of good government in Social Contract (1762), with the argument for popular sovereignty 4. Social antagonisms between two rising groups: the aristocracy and the bourgeoisie. 5. Ineffective ruler: Louis XVI 6. Economic hardship, especially the agrarian crisis of 1788-89 generates popular discontent and disorders caused by food shortages.
Detail Introduction Of Sociology
Detail of sociology?
Sociology is
the Systematic and scientific study of human social relationships and
institutions. The word sociology is derived from both Latin and Greek origins. The Latin
word socio mean “humans” and logy Greek word means “study” so as combined
sociology mean study of human life.
Importance
of study Sociology?
Sociology is a important subject now days. The main
contribution of sociology is that it can help people better to understand their
own lives. It does so by explaining the relationships between personal
experience and external events.
Definition Of sociology according to different
sociologist:-
Sociology
has been defined in a number of ways by different sociologist but no definition
consider as a full definition that cover subject sociology. Some of the famous
sociologist definition written below:
Auguste Compte
Auguste Comte was the first to develop the
concept of "sociology." He defined sociology as a positive science. according to him“sociology is the
science of social phenomena.subject to natural and invariable lows.the
discovery of which is the object of investment
But in
general sence,his definition can be defined as “sociology is a scientific study
of social order and social progress”.
Émile Durkheim,
One of the founding
thinkers of sociology, was born in France.He define
sociology as “Science of social institutions”
W.g.summer:-
William Graham
Sumner was a classical liberal American
social scientist. He taught social sciences at Yale, where he held the nation's
first professorship in sociology. Sumner
wrote widely within the social sciences.his basic definition of sociology is”
Sociology is a science of society”.
Robert E. Park:-
Was an American urban sociologist who is
considered to be one of the most influential figures in early U.S. sociology. His
basic definition of sociology is “sociology is the study of collective
behavior.
Talcott Parsons:-
Was an American sociologist of the classical
tradition, best known for his social
action theory and structural
functionalism. His basic definition of sociology is”
sociology is the scientific study of structure and function of human groups”
Max Weber:-
was a German sociologist, philosopher. His basic definition of sociology is”
sociology is the study of social action”
Subscribe to:
Posts
(
Atom
)
