Common-Sense and Sociological Approaches
Understanding Common-Sense Approaches
- Common-sense approaches refer to concepts and ideas that are generally accepted by most individuals in a society without questioning or applying theoretical logic.
- These approaches often originate from personal experiences, tradition, or hearsay, and can vary from culture to culture.
- The common-sense approach is usually formed due to the belief in cause-effect relationships, which may not necessarily apply universally.
- They are forms of social knowledge that are learned, easily accepted and used in everyday life to interpret the social world.
- Limitations of this approach include a tendency towards stereotyping and the failure to explain social phenomena systematically.
Understanding Sociological Approaches
- Sociological approaches take a scientific and systematic way to understand social phenomena.
- Sociologists look for patterns in society to understand and explain social behaviours and actions.
- They use empirical evidence and research methodologies such as surveys, interviews, and observation to make claims about society.
- These approaches require the systematic and objective analysis of social facts, separating fact from opinion.
- Sociologists also develop and test theories to understand social structures, cultures, and behaviours.
Contrasting Common-Sense and Sociological Approaches
- Unlike the common-sense approach, the sociological approach does not rely on accepted ideas, but on empirical evidence and logical connections.
- Sociologists often challenge common-sense ideas and replace them with scientifically tested theories.
- Sociological research methods require more time, effort, and resources than common-sense reasoning, but their conclusions are often more reliable and widely applicable.
- Both approaches provide valuable ways to view the world, but sociologists advocate for a more critical and scientific perspective.
- In sociology, common sense can serve as starting points for inquiry but they are not reliable as valid explanations for social phenomena.