Delimit the scope of Sociology in relation to other social sciences. (10 Marks). UPSC MAINS 2022
- The scope refers to the subject matter or area of inquiry. As a branch of social science, sociology has its own scope but there is no one opinion about it. Sociology studies human society which is marked by tremendous diversity. Same diversity is seen in the viewpoints of sociologists on society and even subject of sociology. But broadly there are two current of thoughts about scope of sociology.
- The formal or specialist school represented by George Simmel, Max Weber, Ferdinand Tonnis, etc. considers sociology as a pure and independent branch of knowledge distinct from all other sciences which deals with various forms of human or social relationships and behaviour. These sociologists wants to restrict the scope of sociology.
- The synthetic school supported by Hob House, Durkheim, Ginsberg, etc. on the other hand wants sociology to be a broad science as a synthesis of all other social sciences or a general science. According to them, sociology is a science of science and all sciences are included in its scope which is encyclopaedic and synoptic. They wants to make sociology comprehensive and wide.
- The scope of Sociology is very wide. It is regarded as a general as well as a special science. As a matter of fact, the subject matter of all social sciences is society. What distinguishes them from one another is their viewpoint. Thus economics studies society from an economic viewpoint; political science studies it from political viewpoint while history is a study of society from a historical point of view Sociology alone studies social relationships and society itself.
- MacIver correctly remarks, What distinguishes each from each is the selective interest. Green also remarks, “The focus of attention upon relationships makes Sociology a distinctive field, however closely allied to certain others it may be.”
- Sociology studies all the various aspects of society such as social traditions, social processes, social morphology, social control, social pathology, effect of extra-social elements upon social relationships etc.
- It is hence neither possible nor essential to delimit the scope of sociology because, this would be, as Sprott put it, “A brave attempt to confine an enormous mass of slippery material into a relatively simple system of pigeon holes.”
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