Question

What is the essence of sociology and how does it differs from non-scientific pursuits and what are the different attributes of the two major models in sociology and how they differ radically from each other.

Answer 1

The essence of sociology is the “sociological imagination”, which refers to a perspective that allows us to understand the relationship between our particular situation in life and what is happening at a broader social framework. As a social science, sociology involves the application of scientific methods to the study of the human aspects of the world. Sociologists can generally be divided into two categories, positivists and interpretivists. Positivists believe that there are objective social facts that exist out there in the world. The prefer the use of quantitative methods to study the world around them, hoping to establish laws of cause and effect. On the other hand, interpretivists believe that humans are highly complex and react differently to the same stimulus. Thus we must establish what meanings individuals give to things to understand why they act. They prefer qualitative methods of research so that they can better understand the meanings people give to the social world.