Should Sociology be held to the same standards of scientific inquiry as biological&physical science? why?

Answer 1

on some level yes, while on others i am not sure if it as practical. Like any science it needs to constantly stand up to the scientific method when doing most research. Just because it is a softer science, doesnt mean that the same methodology when appropriate should not be used.

However in some areas, such as theory, it seems like the idea of testing and retesting theory isnt as good as either making ones attack or expanding on it. Likewise doing qualitiative research is often a little bit different on the scene that quanitiative work so it might need to be approached somewhat differently.

Still whenever appropriate it should be in my opinion. If we expect sociology to be viewed in the sciences as on equal footing with others, sociologists need to treat it the same way. I think there will always be a bit of a distinction in methods and how the sociologist views their work, but because of the difference in what is being studied i think this is natural. Just because something is different doesnt mean that it necesarily cant stand up to the same rigors that most people equate with physical sciences.

Answer 2

That would be tough, because sociology is more or less considered a "soft" science- like political science or meterology. It is subject to many factors, like trends,economics,-anything can change it's percieved belief or patern in a short time. It's not governed by hard mathematics!