|
|
Scientific Study of Social Phenomena
The need to have sociology as a new branch of knowledge was realized quite late and many branches of knowledge had already taken shape and gained respectability before sociology was conceived. These branches of knowledge have been termed as Sciences. Sociology grew under the shadow of illustrious predecessors like Physics and Biology tended to emulate their patterns. The basic assumption that is central to these sciences that distinguish them from medieval learning is that: Truth about the world can be known through sensory observation. Thus the scientist seeks his truth by observing the world rather than by waiting for revelations. Sociology also inherited this premise. An illustration of knowledge based upon sensory observation is if one sees a bird that is called by the people a crow and finds its black, then one arrives at the conclusions that crow is black. The veracity of this knowledge lies in the fact that it is supported by sensory observation. But our senses can sometimes deceive us .Scientists adopt certain procedural steps that seek to reduce such a possibility. These acts of procedural steps constitute the Scientific Method.
|
