In What Ways Can Sociology Be Compared to the Natural Sciences?
Sociology is the study on society and the study on how people behave and interact with others. When focusing on a study, sociology has always been debated on whether it is a natural science or not, due to the way sociologists conduct their studies.
Positivists, such as Comte and Durkheim both believe that sociology should be regarded to as a natural science. They also believed that when there is an observable event, regular patterns may be found. When the researcher proves this, one may establish laws of human behaviour in the same way that scientists come up with scientific laws after proving their studies. These Positivists also believe that one should also focus on achieving the Causal Relationships, where one can find what and why something happened before and after the study. Comte, believed that when conducting studies, one must be very specific and as precise as possible just like one would be when conducting studies in the natural sciences, and if after repeating the study the same results are achieved, one may then issue a law. Comte also stated that, “ scientific knowledge about society could be accumulated and used to improve human existence”, and may also be run rationally on evidence withouth religion or superstition getting in the way of progress. While Durkheim stated that for him, “ sociology is the scientific study of a reality ‘sui generis’”, meaning a reality that is apart from the individual.
When conducting these studies positivists prefer using quantitative methodology since they like their results in statistics for reliability, therefore being able to count many sets of observable social facts as numbers are very precise. They also believe that it is possible to classify the social world in an objective way, therefore trying their best not to allow opinions and emotions influence their work. A few methods that a Positivits may prefer using are known as the Laboratory experiment, in which the samples are tested in a controlled environment, for precise predictions and to falsify theories; and Social Surveys, in which, the researcher collects general amounts of information, in statistical form, from a large number of people, mostly using questionnaires.
Karl Popper, a philosopher, also believed that sociology can be scientific by following a set of