On the Evaluation of Sociological Theory

A failure to distinguish interpretive from explanatory sociological theory has created two opposing camps within the field: those who view the classical but unscientific writings of Weber, Durkheim, etc, as historically interesting & perhaps as sources of raw material for further scientific expl...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Philosophy of the social sciences 1977-03, Vol.7 (1), p.33-50
Main Author: Green, Bryan S.R.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Evaluation/Evaluations/Evaluative
Social theory/Social theories
Sociological
Theory/Theories/Theorem/ Theorizing
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Summary:A failure to distinguish interpretive from explanatory sociological theory has created two opposing camps within the field: those who view the classical but unscientific writings of Weber, Durkheim, etc, as historically interesting & perhaps as sources of raw material for further scientific explanation, & those who assume the validity of the earlier works but cannot defend them in the acceptable (ie, scientific) manner. Interpretive theory should be seen as a distinct form of sociology which evolved in an environment of criteria--usually latent & unformulated--embedded in the concerns & interests of the intellectual community of the time. Criteria for judging explanatory theory have been precisely articulated & thus gained authority; the criteria governing the production of interpretive theory should be raised to a similar level in order to achieve orthodoxy. Modified Author's Summary.
ISSN:0048-3931
1552-7441
DOI:10.1177/004839317700700102