Durkheim's Success in Using the Scientific Method

Durkheim's Success in Using the Scientific Method

In this essay I will discuss some of the approaches to the study of

suicide and its social causes described by Durkheim. I will then

present a few alternative theories or critiques of Durkheim; and

finally conclude with a Personal reflection on Durkheim`s analysis.

Durkheim believed that society is a part of nature, and a science of

society has to be based upon the same logical principles as those

which obtain in natural science. Therefore Durkheim set out to prove

that sociology was a science by applying his theory to the study of

suicide.

The study of suicide is seen as particularly important because it

illustrates the wider theoretical and methodological debates in

sociology. The study of suicide, by Durkheim was based on using

statistics from several countries and looked for causes of suicide.

This illustrates the positive approach. Later studies such as those by

Atkinson and Douglas use interpretative and phenomenological

approaches, which question the value of statistics and the idea of

causes and try instead to understand how meanings are attached to

actions.

The positivist approach in sociology is based on using the methodology

of the natural sciences as far as possible. This was part of an

attempt to establish sociology as an important academic discipline,

since science was seen as the highest form of knowledge. Durkheim

wanted to counter the then current explanations of suicide, which were

usually based on individuals, by showing that suicide could be

explained at the level of society; he wanted to show that one of the

most individual acts a person could perform...

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...bias. This view could be taken because Durkheim

himself was a Catholic when he was discussing the role of values and

morality within Catholicism as being superior. On the other hand

Durkheim’s approach has been useful in that other sociologists can

learn from his methodology and the drawbacks in it.

Bibliography

Atkinson, J.M. “Discovering Suicide” – London Macmillan, (1978)

Bilton, T et al “Introductory Sociology” Macmillan (1981)

Durkheim, Emile (1858-1917). Suicide: a study in sociology London:

Routledge & K

Gibbs, Jack P., & Walter T. Martin. “Status integration and suicide;

a sociological study”

University of Oregon Books, (1964)

Luke’s, S “Emile Durkheim” - Penguin Press (1973)

O’Donnell, M “A New Introductory to Sociology” Nelson (1992)