preview

Sociological And Common Sense Understanding

Better Essays

Introduction to Sociology
Throughout this essay, I will explain the distinction between sociological and common sense understanding, highlight the differences between sociology and other social sciences, and evaluate two sociological perspectives – Marxism and feminism.
Sociology is the scientific study of human society. It examines the development of social structures, and the interaction between these structures and human behaviour. Sociologists aim to provide tools of understanding the process of socialisation, and investigate the causes and consequences of things such as labels, belief systems, bureaucracy, gender roles, relationships, and inequality. Becker and Horowitz (1972) claimed that "good sociology is sociological work that …show more content…

Common sense just accepts knowledge of human behaviour without evidence or explanation, whereas sociology will test common sense ideas to determine whether there is scientific truth in them.
Pierre Bourdieu (1998), claimed that "the function of sociology, as of every science, is to reveal that which is hidden '. Other sciences that are often compared with sociology include psychology, biology and journalism.
Walter Bowers Pillsbury (1911) described psychology as 'the science of human behaviour '. This indicates a significant similarity between psychology and sociology. However, sociology focuses on group dynamics and the collective behaviour of society, whereas psychology mainly focuses on the behaviour of people as individuals. Psychologists aim to gain understanding of the mind, and the affect the mind has on individual behaviour. Sociologists research topics such as social stratification, hate crimes, addictions, and injustice, always focusing on the issues of society as a whole. Psychologists, on the other hand, research the cognitive processes behind the issues. They explore emotions, dreams and memories, and seek explanations for these in order to improve the mental well-being of an individual.
As already discussed, sociology is the science of social behaviour. Biology, however, is 'the science of life ' (Bagley 2014). This refers to observable, physical components of the human body, such as cells, tissues, and organs. Biology is

Get Access