Truth in sociology

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Sociology studies social behaviour in a society. It is part of what we call “social sciences”, in opposition to “hard sciences” such as mathematics or physics. The goal in sociology is to find patterns to explain humans’ behaviour in society and why it works the way it does. Sociology, like most social sciences, gives various arguments and establish hypotheses and theories on a topic. It is therefore very difficult to find a unique truth within this discipline. Indeed, some say sociologists can’t even find an objective truth as societies constantly evolve over time and encompasses a range of different social groups (different ethnic, religious, age groups). However, sociologists today claim that they do indeed find truth in their conclusions by going on with a methodological approach that coincides with the ones used in “hard sciences”. Therefore, can there be a unique objective truth in sociology?

On the first hand, sociologists keep on insisting on the scientific methods used to find an objective truth in sociology. They claim that sociology, unlike most social sciences, can be associated to a “hard science” where we can find truth (1). The founding fathers of sociology (Marx, Weber and Durkheim) all inherited the Hegelian way of thinking in which everything could be explained scientifically. As time went by, the study of sociology became more and more scientific, searching for concrete solutions to social problems using highly scientific methods of knowledge. Why did it grow to become this way? First of all, using a more scientific approach to research helps get more funding from governments. Also, sociology developed into a more rigorous discipline over time where the main goal was to find one real truth to explain relevant causes and effects of happenings (1). Sociology hence uses three concepts to develop its scientific method: generalization, reliability and validity. Generalization explains the “extent to which the results of a given study can be generalized to the larger population“. Reliability is the “extent to which the data collected means what the researcher thinks it means“. Validity is “the extent to which the research has captured the reality of the situation“. Through hypotheses (rationalization) and quantifiable measurements (called induction) to test these hypotheses, sociologists hope to solve the problem of truth in their discipline (1).

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“After all, the true gold of any social research is simply the pursuit of truth in all its forms” says Aubre Lawless (1).

On the other hand, some believe sociology cannot attain truth but for different reasons. First of all, some say human behaviour is too unpredictable and therefore unquantifiable. Also, there are some hidden factors that simply cannot be measured. Hence, empirical observations and experiments are limited and uncontrolled creating limited theories (1). Furthermore, as Leo McCann claims, sociology uses various methods, disciplines and philosophies in order to draw its conclusions (2). In this way, sociology cannot, and should not, claim to find one objective truth but it should be used to help make better-informed decisions on social issues. Finally, post-modernists believe truth is meaningless and sociology shouldn’t aim to find truth that is both “tangible and inexplicable”(3).  As Scholes said “since there is no truth, there is no error either, and all beliefs are equal” (3). Indeed, post-modernists claim that we don’t need truth as everything is a contradiction and it simply can’t be attained. Keep in mind that they do not prone nihilism where nothing can be known or communicated. They simply do not believe in the pertinence of truth also associating it to totalitarian regimes who promote one truth (3).

Although some claim that there cannot be one objective truth, can there be multiple truths? Indeed, Latour claims that sociology depicts multiple truths based on association (4). Furthermore, since truth can change in time, truth still existed at a given point. This means that although we can find new truths and shut down old ones, truth still exists meaning there are multiple truths in a lifetime (5).

To conclude, sociology as part of a social science has trouble affirming itself. Indeed, although most sociologists claim that they can indeed find an objective truth, sociology still relies on societies who are unpredictable and always evolving through time. This is why, as Latour claims, I believe that sociology can depict multiple truths. Not only do people have different beliefs and perceptions of society, there cannot be one objective truth to explain all the societies in the world.

Work Cited: 

1. Lawless A. The Pursuit of Truth in Social Sciences [Internet]. [cited 20 October 2016]. Available from: http://www.cs.ups.edu/~bryans/Current/Journal_Spring_2004/213_04_Lawless_Aubre.pdf

2. McCann L. Objective truth, social ‘science’ and tennis balls – Social Science Space [Internet]. Social Science Space. 2012 [cited 20 October 2016]. Available from: http://www.socialsciencespace.com/2012/07/objective-truth-social-%E2%80%98science%E2%80%99-and-tennis-balls/

3. Rosenau P. “Consequences of Post-Modern Views of Theory and Truth for the Social Sciences”, Post-Modernism and the Social Sciences. Princeton: Princeton University Press; 2001.

4. Kale-Lostuvali E. Two Sociologies of Science in Search of Truth: Bourdieu Versus Latour [Internet]. Social Epistemology. 2015 [cited 20 October 2016]. Available from: http://www-tandfonline-com.libproxy.ucl.ac.uk/doi/full/10.1080/02691728.2015.1015062

5. Durkheim’s Pragmatism and the Question of Truth [Internet]. Marxists.org. 2016 [cited 20 October 2016]. Available from:
https://www.marxists.org/reference/subject/philosophy/works/fr/durkheim.html

6. THE TRUTH IS HERE! meme – Pissed Off Obama (32338) • MemesHappen [Internet]. Memes Happen Meme Generator. 2016 [cited 23 October 2016]. Available from: http://memeshappen.com/meme/pissed-off-obama/the-truth-is-here-32338

7. Scientific Method for Kids & Teachers (K-12) [Internet]. Science.pppst.com. 2016 [cited 23 October 2016]. Available from: http://science.pppst.com/scientificmethod.html

Reflection: 

Working on this blog was quite difficult as the subject of truth in sociology is not much written about. Indeed, I had trouble finding sources especially reliable ones. However, I managed to find extracts from books written by scholars talking about truth in sociology. This was a long process as I had to skim through entire books in order to find the right chapter that would be useful to my research. I also had to look online through the UCL database or Google Scholar in order to find more information on the topic. I tried my best to gather as much information as possible however, the lack of resources meant I had to base my blog on little reliable information. I managed to find online articles but I do question the objectivity and reliability of some of these sources. I enjoyed researching for my topic as it was interesting and it enabled me to understand the relevance to the course. However, it was quite challenging to be confronted to a serious lack of resources both online and in the library to fuel my knowledge, help me understand the issue and find solutions if there are any.