Notes: Non-Positive Methodologies | Sociology Mains Optional for UPSC 2025 PDF Download

 Page 1


 
 
Chapter 2  
Sociology as Science 
 
Non-Positivist Methodologies 
  
Page 2


 
 
Chapter 2  
Sociology as Science 
 
Non-Positivist Methodologies 
  
 
 
Non-positivist Methodologies 
 
Positivist assumptions questioned by ‘idealists’ traditions. 
 
Kant – Ideas are important, as they change the society. 
 
It drew from hermeneutics i.e. study of interpretation.  
 
Society is highly subjective so emphasis is on understanding (or interpretation) 
as explanation not possible.  
 
Martin Heidegger talks about how interpretation of text and context will give 
‘what is’ and ‘what ought to be’.  
 
Wilhelm Dilthey says that reality should be understood in three different ways  
- Experience 
- Expression (opinion of others)  
- Comprehension (interpreting information) 
 
Remember how Heinrich Rickert and W Windelband differentiated b/w 
nomothetic and idiographic.  
 
George Simmel says that reality is objective but knowledge about reality is 
subjective.  
Cause-consequence relationship is not constant in behavioural science.  
It depends on mood, intentions, situation.  
 
Max Weber (interpretative) 
 
Symbolic interactionism (GH Mead) 
 
Phenomenology (Alfred Schutz – Peter Berger)  
 
Ethnomethodology (Harold Garfinkel) (Louis Dumont in India) 
 
 
  
Page 3


 
 
Chapter 2  
Sociology as Science 
 
Non-Positivist Methodologies 
  
 
 
Non-positivist Methodologies 
 
Positivist assumptions questioned by ‘idealists’ traditions. 
 
Kant – Ideas are important, as they change the society. 
 
It drew from hermeneutics i.e. study of interpretation.  
 
Society is highly subjective so emphasis is on understanding (or interpretation) 
as explanation not possible.  
 
Martin Heidegger talks about how interpretation of text and context will give 
‘what is’ and ‘what ought to be’.  
 
Wilhelm Dilthey says that reality should be understood in three different ways  
- Experience 
- Expression (opinion of others)  
- Comprehension (interpreting information) 
 
Remember how Heinrich Rickert and W Windelband differentiated b/w 
nomothetic and idiographic.  
 
George Simmel says that reality is objective but knowledge about reality is 
subjective.  
Cause-consequence relationship is not constant in behavioural science.  
It depends on mood, intentions, situation.  
 
Max Weber (interpretative) 
 
Symbolic interactionism (GH Mead) 
 
Phenomenology (Alfred Schutz – Peter Berger)  
 
Ethnomethodology (Harold Garfinkel) (Louis Dumont in India) 
 
 
  
 
 
General elements-  
- Internal sides  
- Scientific methods as natural science cannot be used in social science 
- No general theory 
- Futility of objective approach 
 
Critique: 
- Vague methods (verstehen) 
- Dependence on the ability of investigator 
- Time consuming and costly 
- Contradictory explanations (various Ideal types for same phenomenon) 
- Reliability and validity cannot be achieved 
 
 
Conclusion: 
Ray Pawson: 60s hangover 
Alan Bryman: choice of methodology depends on type of research (purposive 
research).  
Post-modernist (no knowledge is untrue, voices of diverse groups be 
encouraged, meta narratives)