Epistemology

1. Epistemology: The theory of knowledge in sociology it is used to refer to the procedures by which sociological knowledge is acquired.
The theory of knowledge especially with regard to its methods validity and scope and the distinction between justified belief and opinion.
2. How sociologists conduct their study

Interpretivist
Positivist
Sociologists need to use different ways of finding out about the world
Seeks to apply the same methods that are used by the natural sciences : RESEARCH BASED ON LOGIC AND METHOD
The study of the ways in which people understand and interpret the world in which they live
Use theory to generate hypotheses
Interpretivists wish to understand human behaviour by reconstructing the meanings that people have associated with social situations in which they have found themselves and with their own actions
Positivists seek to explain human behaviour by reference to social forces acting upon people

Interpretivist Approaches
Positivist Approaches important to think about differences in suicidal behaviour between different groups of men
He wanted to demonstrate how even this most individual of acts is shaped by social forces

the need to research suicide sociologically, and that we need to collect qualitative as well as quantitative data on this topic.

Positivism: Can deal only with observable things and that phenomena in any form have to be studied in a scientific manner. It does not take in account of the individual’s interpretation of the situation.