Читать книгу Sociology - Anthony Giddens - Страница 106

Because sociologists often study things about which most people have some personal experience, it is possible to believe that sociological knowledge is merely a restatement, in abstract jargon, of things we already know. Yet very rarely is this the case. Because sociological findings must be rooted in evidence they are never just personal opinion or speculation. In fact, good sociology sharpens our understanding of things that appear obvious or completely transforms our common-sense perspective (Berger 1963). In either event, sociology is neither tedious nor a restatement of the obvious. Sociological research has allowed us to see aspects of society about which we had no previous knowledge, and research findings often challenge our personal beliefs and prejudices about social groups, individuals and institutions.

Similarly, sociologists may begin with a problem to which many people think they already know the answer. Is crime really getting worse? Why are boys underachieving in secondary school? Why do women still do more housework than men? In addressing such questions, sociologists are never content with anecdotal evidence, personal beliefs, newspaper stories or television news reports. They always employ research methods to collect evidence, which they then analyse and interpret using theoretical ideas to generate a deeper understanding of the phenomena under study. In this way sociology often challenges the ‘obvious’ or simple answers and sets our local knowledge within a much wider frame of reference, most recently the global level of social interactions.

Sociological research is rarely of interest only to the community of sociologists. A good proportion of research funding comes from government sources and is directly linked to social issues and problems. Many studies of crime and deviance, for example, target specific offences or types of offender with a view to gaining better understanding so that the problems associated with crime can be tackled more effectively. Sociologists also work with voluntary agencies, public bodies and businesses, bringing their research skills to bear on questions set by the former. Much of this is applied social research, which does not simply endeavour to produce better knowledge but also seeks to inform interventions aimed at improving some aspect of social life. Researchers studying the effects on children of parental alcohol use, for instance, may be interested in whether a particular treatment programme has any effect on reducing alcohol abuse.

The findings from sociological research are also disseminated throughout society. Sociology, it must be emphasized, is not just the study of societies; it is a significant element in the continuing life of societies. Consider the transformations taking place in relation to marriage, sexuality and the family (discussed in chapters 7, 14 and 15). Most people have some knowledge of these as a result of the filtering down into society of social scientific research findings. Our thinking and behaviour are thus affected by sociological knowledge in complex and often subtle ways. However, as our behaviour changes, so does society – the very subject of sociological investigation. A way of describing this two-way phenomenon, using our technical language, is to say that sociology stands in a ‘reflexive relation’ to the human beings whose behaviour it studies. Reflexivity, as we shall see in chapter 3, describes the interchange between sociology and social life. We should not be surprised that sociological findings often correlate closely with common sense. But this is not because sociology tells us what we know already. Rather, sociological research helps to shape our common-sense knowledge of society in the first place, even though we may not immediately realize it.