Читать книгу Sociology - Anthony Giddens - Страница 81

One of the main problems to be tackled in research methods is the analysis of cause and effect, especially in quantitative research which is based on statistical testing. A causal relationship between two events or situations is an association in which one event or situation produces another. If the handbrake is released in a car that is parked on a hill, the car will roll down the incline, gathering speed progressively as it does so. Taking the brake off was the immediate cause of this event, and the reasons for it can readily be understood by reference to the physical principles involved. Like natural science, sociology depends on the assumption that all events have causes. Social life is not a random array of occurrences. One of the main tasks of sociological research and theorizing is to identify causes and effects.