SOCY 275 Chapter Notes -Consistency, Victimless Crime, Jeremy Bentham

• School: Queen's University
• Department: Social Sci, Edu and Soc Work - Sociology
• Course: SOCY 275
• Professor: Vincent F Sacco

Document Summary

Comparison points illustration using demonological/theological and rational/utilitarian perspectives beginning assumption(s) theory implies many different things. For sociologists, a theory is a socially constructed statement summarizing knowledge or providing guidelines for the logical testing of those summary statements, or both. Sociological theories describe current understanding or predict future incidents of behaviour, or both. A theory contains at least one assumption that can never be directly tested or measured. The demonological-theological perspective was built on the assumption that human beings are flawed because original sin left human thought imperfect. A clouded vision of right and wrong doomed mankind to making mistakes. The rational/utilitarian perspective began with a different starting pointthe assumption that humans seek pleasure and avoid pain. Neither the demonological nor the rational assumption was (or can be) directly tested, but each is necessary to understand the differences in how a perspective influences a view of human action and makes specific predictions about behaviour.