OBJECTIVITY IN THE SOCIAL'SCIENCES.

Content type

User Generated

Type

Study Guide

Uploaded By

Qviln191

Pages

Rating

Social science includes the academic disciplines concerned with society and human behavior

Objectivity in science is a value that informs how science is practiced and how scientific truths are created. It is the idea that

scientists, in attempting to uncover truths about the natural world, must aspire to eliminate personal biases, a priori commitments,

emotional involvement, etc.

[1]

Objectivity is often attributed to the property of scientific measurement, as the accuracy of a

measurement can be tested independent from the individual scientist who first reports it.

[

citation needed

]

It is thus intimately related to the

aim of testability and reproducibility. To be properly considered objective, the results of measurement must be communicated from

person to person, and then demonstrated for third parties, as an advance in understanding of the objective world. Such demonstrable

knowledge would ordinarily confer demonstrable powers of prediction or technological construction.

Definition Of:

OBJECTIVITY

Sociology

Dictionary

Objectivity means striving as far as possible to reduce or eliminate bias in the conduct of research.

OBJECTIVITY IN THE SOCIAL'SCIENCES

1. INTRODUCTION AND SUMMARY

In the present paper I shall attempt to deal with objectivity in the social

sciences, particularly in sociology, on which I shall concentrate, because I

am frankly disturbed by a trend current on the American scene. The trend

may be characterized by its causing bitter division amongst social

scientists and upheaval in their gatherings. What disturbs me about this

trend is not so much the upheaval, as the ready tendency to despair of the

basic precondition for objective social science, namely the assumption of

the unity of mankind - both intellectual and moral. The radicalist social

scientists who belong to this trend claim that the long established goal of

objectivity in social sciences is a chimera and a subterfuge which has

served the powers that be for too long already ((1)). In the name of instant

peace and liberation they imply that rational discourse between social

scientists of different persuasions - the Establishment and the Revolution

- is no longer possible. Sociologists of the women's liberation movement

and black militant sociologists broadcast the idea that nothing can take

the place of first-hand experience: only women can understand women's

problems and only blacks can understand blacks. All whites,

including sociologists , are racists, at least subconsciously ((3)). All those

who do not join the Movement belong to the Establishment, at least

subconsciously ((4)) True, the group, which advocates the jettisoning of

the aspiration for objectivity is marginal. Yet I am concerned because

exactly the most dangerous aspect of their activity, their attack on

objectivity, is rather condoned and tolerated by most social scientists who

see their good intentions and moralistic preoccupations and social

conscience, and only complain about their bizarre and unseemly conduct,

especially of the young ones among them. In my opinion the bizarre and

unseemly, though offensive to the sensibility of one's colleagues and not

very conductive to the scientific enterprise, is much less significant than

the irrationalism they advocate, which may put an end to the enterprise

altogether.

In the present paper I shall present the following points:

(1) There are obstacles to objectivity common to all sciences; we attempt

to overcome them as best we can. The obstacles special to the social

sciences are caused by the special involvement of the investigator with

his topic of study, which relates to both his interests and his emotional

make-up.

(2) Methods to overcome these obstacles on the way to objectivit y in the

social sciences were suggested in the nineteenth and early twentieth

century. The Marxist tradition had only a marginal following here until

recently. The major American sociological schools prevalent in the

forties, fifties, and early sixties, were the Warner school ((5)) and the

functional analysts ((6)). Both aimed at the elimination of the individual

investigator's bias, but caused the establishment of a massive bias in

favour of the status quo. Already in the fifties, C. Wright Mills used semi-

Marxist ideas to ridicule functionalism ((7)) and a group of sociologists

debunked the sacred cow of the middle class by the series of studies of

suburbia ((8)).

(3) In the mid-sixties Marxism became fashionable in sociological

circles; instead of the emphasis on social equilibrium came the emphasis

on change-inducing social conflict. Marx himself considered mankind as

divided into hostile camps - the class-camps - yet he claimed that

objectivity is possible (due to his basic law of social evolution), and he

decidedly considered the possibility of individual intellectuals of the

wrong class-camp to see the objective truth.9 These aspects of the

Marxist tradition are being jettisoned by considerable numbers of the

present generation of left-wing social scientists. Indeed, the ideal of

scientific rationality has become much dimmer in this group. The forces

of irrationalism dispense with such items as a rigorous economic analysis

of the existing system, they are vague about who are the potential

revolutionary social groups; they are influenced by anarchistic

irrationalism, by the Guevara's emotionalism, and by Mao's primitive

collectivism. Those of us who still hope for rational discussion may well

put this new phenomenon on the agenda as an urgent item for study

within the community of social science.

2. SPECIAL OBSTACLES TO OBJECTIVITY IN THE SOCIAL

SCIENCES

It is my contention that though complete objectivity in science is an

impossibility, aiming at it, or attaining as much of it as reasonably

possible, is a necessary condition for the conduct of all scientific inquiry.

Why should we consider objectivity so important that we should pursue it

even when admitting it to be inaccessible? In my opinion, viewing

inquiry as subjective, or as an entirely individual matter, would be the

exclusion of all criticism; and this would be the exclusion of rational

debate; and this would be the denial of the thesis of the intellectual or

rational unity of mankind. It thus opens the door to irrationalism and

elitism, whether social or racial.

The general obstacles to scientific objectivity in any field concern the fact

that every human is heir to some intellectual preferences and standpoints.

The individual is also heir to a social and cultural tradition as a result of

End of Preview - Want to read all 6 pages?

Access Now

Unformatted Attachment Preview

Social science includes the academic disciplines concerned with society and human behavior Objectivity in science is a value that informs how science is practiced and how scientific truths are created. It is the idea that scientists, in attempting to uncover truths about the natural world, must aspire to eliminate personal biases, a priori commitments, emotional involvement, etc.[1] Objectivity is often attributed to the property of scientific measurement, as the accuracy of a measurement can be tested independent from the individual scientist who first reports it.[citation needed] It is thus intimately related to the aim of testability and reproducibility. To be properly considered objective, the results of measurement must be communicated from person to person, and then demonstrated for third parties, as an advance in understanding of the objective world. Such demonstrable knowledge would ordinarily confer demonstrable powers of prediction or technological construction. Definition Of: OBJECTIVITY Sociology Dictionary Objectivity means striving as far as possible to reduce or eliminate bias in the conduct of research. OBJECTIVITY IN THE SOCIAL'SCIENCES 1. INTRODUCTION AND SUMMARY In the present paper I shall attempt to deal with objectivity in the social sciences, particularly in sociology, on which I shall concentrate, because I am frankly disturbed by a trend current on the American scene. The trend may be characterized by its causing bitter division among ...
Purchase document to see full attachment