Scientific Method and Social Inquiry

Course Theme

• The main theme of the course is how the scientific method can be used to investigate social phenomena.
• The scientific method is a way of knowing and a method to learn about the world.

Other Ways of Knowing

• Science is not the only way to learn about the social world.
• There is also "ordinary human inquiry" or "ordinary knowing."
• This involves daily knowledge gained through various means.

Types of Ordinary Knowing

• One type of ordinary knowing is speculation and logical analysis.
• A second type is learning from an authority.

Authority as a Way of Knowing

• Learning through authority involves accepting something as true if the source is an authority figure.
• Experts, such as parents, medical doctors, and professionals in various fields, serve as authorities.
• Young children often rely on their parents.
• Following a medical doctor's advice is another example.
• Social scientists sometimes rely on authorities, for example, when referencing Marx, Weber, or Dorothy Smith.

Problems with Learning from Authority

• Authorities can be wrong.
• Just because an authority says something, it doesn't automatically mean it's true.
• An example is the use of Thalidomide.
• Sociological authorities can also make mistakes.
• We should not accept something as true just because a sociological authority claims it.

Tradition as a Way of Knowing

• Tradition is a special kind of authority, originating from those who came before us.
• The logic of learning from tradition is that something valued and believed for a long time must be important.
• We may accept something as true or useful because others have believed it for a long time.
• Examples include family traditions (e.g., Thanksgiving).
• Many morals and values are learned through tradition.
• Sociological traditions (e.g., Marxian, Weberian, Feminist traditions) are also considered.

Problems with Tradition

• Traditional ways of knowing have limitations.
• Past traditions that seem ridiculous or cruel (e.g., only men attending university, slavery, child labor) demonstrates the potential for tradition to be flawed.
• We must be careful when relying on tradition.
• Even sociological traditions can be problematic.

Consensus as a Way of Knowing

• We gain knowledge by finding out what most people think about a matter.
• There can be consensus on certain social science issues (e.g., Canada is a class-divided society.)
• However, consensus doesn't automatically mean something is true.

Casual Observation

• In causal observation, we make observations on a topic of interest, without a set plan or process.
• For example, we might observe people who have divorced to understand the causes of divorce.
• We must understand the potential limitations of this method, including sloppy observations, atypical samples, and confirmation bias. (the tendency to interpret new evidence as confirmation of one's existing beliefs).

Science as a Method of Knowing

• Science is based on the idea that explanations are falsifiable (testable.)
• We can go out and gather evidence to determine if an idea is false, if it's not, then it's not scientific.
• Examples of falsifiable theories include the theory positing that crime is caused by poverty.
• Non-falsifiable theories, include the theory that crime is caused by subconscious urges. Tautologies, statements that are true by definition, cannot be falsified. (e.g,"If you don't lose your hair, you won't go bald").