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Should Sociology be Normative?
- Source :
-
American Sociologist . Mar2024, Vol. 55 Issue 1, p24-37. 14p. - Publication Year :
- 2024
-
Abstract
- This article critically examines recent arguments by Andrew Abbott, Jensen Sass, and Tariq Modood proposing a normative sociology, one that not only adopts an evaluative stance towards the phenomena it investigates, but also makes explicit and seeks to justify the values on which its evaluations rely. I argue that, while these proposals are to be welcomed in some respects, they fail to address two key issues: On what reasonable basis can it be assumed that there are single correct answers to value questions?; and What distinctive intellectual authority can sociologists claim to be able to discover those answers? I also point out that these recent advocates for a normative sociology pay insufficient attention to the opposing position, a commitment to 'value-neutrality', as proposed most notably by Max Weber. I argue that, while this is frequently ignored or dismissed out of hand, it represents a much more coherent and cogent view, even if its advocates have rarely fully lived up to its demands. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Subjects :
- *SOCIOLOGY
*NORMATIVITY (Ethics)
*SOCIOLOGISTS
*SOCIAL sciences
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 00031232
- Volume :
- 55
- Issue :
- 1
- Database :
- Academic Search Index
- Journal :
- American Sociologist
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 177624882
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1007/s12108-023-09603-1