SOC 1100 Chapter Notes - Chapter 2: Formal System, Critical Theory, Participant Observation

• School: University of Guelph
• Department: Sociology
• Course: SOC 1100
• Professor: Linda Gerber

Document Summary

First type of truth is belief or faith (81% of society believes in god) Second kind of truth rests on the pronouncement of some recognized expert. Third type of truth is based on simple agreement among ordinary people. Science is the fourth way a knowing, it is a logical system that bases knowledge on direct, systematic observation and rests on empirical evidence (information we can verify with our senses) We embrace various kinds of truths at the same time. Like the sociological perspective, the scientific evidence challenges our common sense. Poor people are far more likely than rich people to break the law . Canada is a middle-class society in which people are more or less equal . We all have been brought up believing in accepted truths , bombarded with expert advice and feeling pressured to accept the opinions of people around us. Sociology helps us to evaluate more critically what we see, read and hear.