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Natural Sciences VS Social Sciences

There can be no doubt regarding the respect in which the founders of sociology held science. Auguste Comte, founder of the term sociology, believed that “… scientific knowledge about society could be accumulated and used to improve human existence.” (vanKiren et al, 2000, pg 588)
Due to the differing subject matter of the social sciences to that of the natural sciences, many sociologist believe that the methods used by natural sciences to conduct research are inappropriate and limited when concerned with human behaviour. However, all sociologists do not share the same opinion or paradigm. In fact there are several schools of thought held by sociologists with regard to the accurate gathering and analysis of data. These views can be widely categorised to include:
§ Functionalist, quantative or scientific approach
§ Humanistic, qualitative or interpretive approach
Functionalism is a perspective that regards empirical data and sensory facts as the only valid and reliab...

Posted by: Sandeep Jador

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