Question

Discuss the nature and scope of sociology with special reference to India. Answer in 500 word

Answer 1

Sociology is a discipline in social sciences concerned with the human society and human social activities. It is one of the youngest social sciences. Auguste Comte, a French social thinker, is traditionally known as the ‘Father of Sociology’ as he coined the term ‘Sociology’ in 1839.

Meaning of Sociology:

The term sociology is composed of two words; Latin word ‘Socius’ means companion or associate and Greek word ‘Logos’ means study. Thus etymological meaning of sociology is, “The science of society”. However, almost all sociologists differ in their views regarding the exact definition of the term. They generally define sociology as study of:

Social action- Max WeberInteractions- Gillin and GillinSocial relationships- MacIver and Page, A.W. GreenSocial groups- M. JohnsonSocial institutions- DurkheimSociety- Giddings, ward

Definitions of Sociology by Famous Sociologists:

Auguste Comte: Comte defines Sociology as the science of social phenomena “subject to natural and invariable laws, the discovery of which is the object of investigation”.Kingsley Davis: “Sociology is a general science of society”.Morris Ginsberg: “In the broadest sense, Sociology is the study of human interactions and inter-relations, their conditions and consequences”.Anthony Giddens: “Sociology is the study of human social life, groups and societies”.

Thus, in general, Sociology is concerned with man, his social relations and his society.



 

Model of Sociology

 

Social

Action

Social

 Interaction

Network of Social

Relationships

Social Groups and Social InstitutionsSociety

 

Nature of Sociology:

In nature of sociology we investigate, what type of subject Sociology is? Is sociology a science, or an art or what? To answer this question Robert Bierstedt enlisted the following characteristics of sociology in his book “The Social Order”:

Sociology is an independent science. Sociology like any other discipline have its own area of study and not fully dependent on other discipline.Sociology is a social science not a physical science. Social sciences focus on various aspect of human society while physical sciences deal with natural phenomena. Thus Sociology is a social science as it deals with man and his social activities.Sociology is a categorical and not a normative discipline. Sociology is value-free. It is only interested in ‘what is’ and not ‘what should be’ or ‘ought to be’.Sociology is pure science and not an applied science. As a Pure science it is only interested in acquisition of knowledge, it has nothing to do with application of that knowledge. Like Physics is a pure science while engineering is its application.Sociology is relatively an abstract science and not a concrete science. It studies the society in an abstract (Theoretical not physical) way. Like, Sociology is not interested in particular families but in family as a social institution that exists in all societies.Sociology is a generalising science and not a particularising science. Sociology is not interested in particular events rather it studies events in a general way. Example: History study French Revolution but Sociology will be interested in revolutions in general.Sociology is a general science and not a special social science. Like Economy or Political Science, Sociology does not focus on only one aspect of human activity. As it has to deal with society it includes all aspects of human life in a general way.Sociology is both a rational and an empirical science. It studies the social phenomena in scientific way. It is based on reason (logic), observation and experimentation.

 

Sociology IsSociology Is NotSocial SciencePhysical ScienceCategorical ScienceNormative DisciplinePure ScienceApplied ScienceGeneral ScienceSpecial Social ScienceAbstract ScienceConcrete ScienceGeneralising ScienceParticularising ScienceIndependent Science–Both Rational and empirical Discipline–

Thus we can say that sociology is a science of general nature and falls in the category of social sciences.

 

Scope of Sociology:

Scope means the subject matter or the areas of study or the boundaries of a subject. What we have to study in a particular subject is known as its scope. Every science has its own field of inquiry. It becomes difficult to study a science systematically unless its boundary or scope is determined precisely. Sociology as a social science has its own scope or boundaries. But there is no one opinion about the scope of Sociology. However, there are two main schools of thought regarding the scope of Sociology: (1) The Specialistic or Formalistic school and (2) the Synthetic school. There is a good deal of controversy about the scope of Sociology .

Answer 2

Hey friend,

Here's your answer,


☢ WHAT IS SOCIOLOGY? ☢


➡ Sociology is the youngest of all social sciences. It is the study of a relationship between a human being and his natural environment. It is the study of the development, structure and functioning of the society.

➡ It contains diverse varieties of subjects. It contains subjects ranging from crime to religion, from family to the state, from the categories of race and social class to the shared beliefs of a common culture, and from social stability to radical change in whole societies.


♠ NATURE OF SOCIOLOGY ♠


☸ Sociology is a scientific discipline. It involves investigation and evaluation of reality in light of the reliable evidences.

☸ The subject matter of Sociology is human behavior, which is flexible and dynamic.


♣ SCOPE OF SOCIOLOGY ♣


☯ It studies various aspects under social relationships. It involves relationship between husband and wife, brother and sister, buyer and seller, etc.

☯ It is a study of various social processes involving cooperation, migration and conflict, etc.

☯ It also focuses on various national issues. It include unemployment and caste conflicts, etc.


Hope this helps!!!!