SOC231H5 Chapter Notes -Falsifiability, Sui Generis
Document Summary
Theory is a system of generalized statements or propositions about phenomena. There are two additional features, however, that together distinguish scientific theories from other idea systems, such as those found in religion or philosophy. Scientific theories: explain and predict the phenomena in question and, produce testable and thus falsifiable hypotheses. Universal laws are intended to explain and predict events occurring in the natural or physical world. For instance, isaac newton established three laws of motion. Sociologists seek to develop or refine general statements about some aspect of social life. For example, a long-standing (although not uncontested) sociological theory predicts that as a society becomes more modern, the salience of religion will decline. The secularization theory, as it is called, is not restricted in its scope to any one time period or population. First, sociological theories tend to be more evaluative and critical than theories in the natural sciences.
