Introduction to Sociology

• Introduction to sociology is covered
• Auguste Comte coined the term "sociology"
• Comte was a French philosopher in 1839
• The word "sociology" comes from the Latin word "societius," meaning society
• The Greek word "logus" means the study of science
• Sociology is the science of human society
• Sociology is considered a social science
• All human beings must interact with other human beings to survive

Definition of Sociology

• Sociology has numerous definitions from different sociologists
• L.T. Hobhouse defined sociology as the study of the interaction of human minds and how individuals' minds interact
• Kimball Young defined sociology as the study of the behavior of men in groups
• H.P. Fair defined sociology as the study of the relationships between man and his human environment
• Society is a web of all social relationships, and sociology studies how an individual adjusts within the society and how social they are
• Sociology is the science of collective behavior, and human society is made of individuals
• Every individual needs another individual because of dependence; each person comes into contact with another person
• L.F. Ward defined sociology as the science of society or of social phenomena
• Young and Mack defined sociology as the scientific study of the structure of social life
• Sociology uses scientific methods like sociometry and interview methods
• The structure of social life includes an individual's role in society, culture, values, etc
• Gillin and Gillin defined sociology as the study of interaction arising from the association of living beings

Nature of Sociology

• There's controversy about the nature of sociology as a science
• Some critics don't consider sociology a science, while others do

Sociology and Science

• Sociology cannot be regarded as a science because it doesn't use laboratories for experiments, and predictions are not as possible as in physical sciences
• Sociology's subject matter is human relationships in groups, which can't be studied in a laboratory
• There's a lack of objectivity in sociology
• Human behavior is dynamic, and there may be biases and introduction to social factors
• Prejudices about other persons or race exist
• A person cannot maintain complete objectivity when employing the scientific method, unlike a physician

Scientific Rigor in Sociology

• Social relations cannot be studied through physical senses
• There's a lack of exactness in sociology
• Science should be able to frame certain laws based on observation and hypothesis
• Sociology cannot be considered a science because of a lack of predictability
• Its laws and results cannot be expressed in precise terms
• Sociology lacks exact and clear terminology
• An adequate set of scientific terms has not been developed yet in sociology
• Using the exact, clear terminology is required for a science

Sociology as a Science

• Sociology as a science: a science is a body of systematized knowledge that is gathered carefully observing & measuring events
• Objectivity, reliability, validity, and predictability are characteristics of science
• Sociology uses scientific methods, but cannot experiment directly with men in a laboratory
• It is argued that you can’t prove sociology by any laboratory investigation, experiment and prediction
• Another argument is the lack of objectivity or the lack of clear data
• Sociology employs scientific methods like sociometry, interview methods, case history, and questionnaires
• These methods are argued to be equal to experimentation
• Sociologists typically use basic methods, which include observation and comparison
• Sociology does frame laws and attempt to predict to an extent

Cause and effect

• Sociology traces cause-and-effect relationships in social disorganization
• It tries to find an answer to 'How' as well as 'Why' of social processes and relationships
• Sociology is a science that provides generalizations about the social behavior of human beings

Reasons that Sociology cannot be regarded as a Science

• Absence of exact and clear terminology, as there is not an adequate set of scientific terms
• Human relations cannot be studied in a laboratory
• Complete objectivity cannot be maintained, as man has his own prejudice and bias
• Its laws and conclusions cannot be expressed in precise terms, making it difficult to make predictions about human behavior

Sociology as a science: Reasons

• Sociology employs scientific methods such as scales of sociometric, questionnaire, interview, care history
• There are basic methods of scientific investigations available to sociologists such as observation and comparison
• Some experiments do not require labs, as with the study of astronomy
• Another example is related to experiments of Newton and Archimedes
• Sociology studies cause and effect relationships such as the relationship between urbanization and disorganization
• Sociology discovers laws applicable in social practices of a community
• Sociology studies its subject matter scientifically