SOC150H1 Lecture Notes - Lecture 4: Participant Observation, Operational Definition, Grounded Theory
Document Summary
Altruism: behavior intended to help others without any expectation of personal benefit. Sociological research challenges to go as strangers into a familiar world. Sociological imagination guides us to examine social contexts of acts such as altruism. Authority: experts tells us something that is true. Religion: religious authority gives us truths based on our particular scriptures. Science: scientific way of knowing involves controlled, systematic observation. However, there is no way to resolve disagreements between those who have had different experiences, or who believe different religions, traditions, or authorities. Scientific explanations differ from other ways of knowing in several fundamental ways that allow scientists to resolve differences in their understandings of the world. First, science is empirical: science is based on the assumption that knowledge is best gained by direct, systematic observation. Second, scientific knowledge is systematic and public: the procedures used by scientists are organized, public, and recognizes by other scientists.
