Topic 4 - Objectivity & Values

Question 1

What does value free mean?

Answer 1

Ability of researchers to keep their own personal biases out of research

Question 2

Positivist view on values [1]

Answer 2

• Sociology should be value free as society could be improved through objective scientific knowledge

Question 3

Interpretivist view on values [2]

Answer 3

• It is impossible for sociology to be value-free due to how research is subjective & influenced by values in all aspects.
• Sociologists own values may influence the method they use - highly subjective

Question 4

Committed Sociology Approach - Marxists & Feminists [2]

Answer 4

• Conduct research entirely on their values i.e political opinions
• The aim of a sociologist is to transform society by exposing the injustice of capitalism/patriarchy.

Question 5

Postmodernist view [3]

Answer 5

• Value freedom is impossible/undesirable
• Researchers should acknowledge their values & realise that this will inform all stages of their research
• Lyotard & Baudrillard: In contemporary society metanarratives are no longer valid & researchers will have individual, subjective opinions.

Question 6

When do values often come into sociology? [3]

Answer 6

1) Choice of topic - topic worth studying is a value-driven decision
2) Choice of method - relate to researcher’s beliefs about research & their research subjects
3) Analysis - likely to involve judgments about people’s behaviour or what would be considered normal

Question 7

Myrdal and Gouldber [2]

Answer 7

• Sociologists should only identify by their values, but open to ‘take sides’, espousing the interests of actual groups.
• This means it is undesirable to be value neutral

Question 8

Marxist Gouldner [1]

Answer 8

• Values need to be a part of sociological research as it’s the role of the researcher to expose inequality

Question 9

Interpretivist view (Influenced by Weber) [4]

Answer 9

• Sociology can be value-free once the research process has been chosen, values act as a guide to research:

Data collection: sociologists must be objective when collecting facts

Values in data interpretation: facts need to be set in a theoretical framework to understand their significance- influenced by values
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Values and the sociologist as a citizen - sociologists are citizens, they cannot dodge the moral issues their work raises or the uses it is put to by hiding behind ‘value freedom’.