SOC200H1 Lecture Notes - Antipositivism, Thomas Kuhn, Structural Functionalism
Document Summary
Kuhn argued that, under all underlying science there are paradigms, or assumptions, which underlie research and the methods that are used to collect data. Sociological paradigm, is a lense or a worldview, it is impossible to see the world without a lense: different paradigms explain or focus on different things. For example structural functionalism focuses on social stability and conflict theory works well for explaining change how ever they are two different theories, even though neither is wrong they give two different views. Paradigms in natural science vs. social science. Positivism: most important to understand objective reality, what is the relationship between this variable and that variable, e. g durkheim"s suicide, uses surveys and data analysis. Systems of interrelated propositions about causal connections between concepts. The word theory implies nothing about how well supported an idea is. Theories generate hypotheses about what we expect to see in particular settings if the theory is correct.
