Philosophy of Society

Social Philosophy (Theory of Society)

Empirical Sociology

All the aforementioned schools of sociological thought share a common characteristic: they are theoretical systems that do not utilize empirical data. By the late 19th century, when positivism reigned in scientific circles and empirical evidence was equated with scientific validity, voices emerged within sociology advocating for a reliance on empirical data to meet scientific standards. This notion was first articulated by representatives of the Chicago School of Sociology. Between 1918 and 1920, scholars William Thomas (1863-1947) and Florian Znaniecki (1882-1958) published "The Polish Peasant in Europe and America," in which they did not explore grand social theories but instead focused on studying a small group—Polish immigrants in America. They eschewed theoretical speculation in favor of collecting empirical material: they examined 754 letters, diaries, and records from immigrants and based their conclusions on this material. Robert Park (1864-1944) and Ernest Burgess (1886-1966), also affiliated with the Chicago School, gathered data on life in various parts of Chicago, analyzed it, and described urban life based on this empirical evidence. By the mid-20th century, the methods of the Chicago School were adopted by sociologists at Harvard and Columbia universities. Elton Mayo (1880-1949) conducted sociological surveys among employees of the Western Electric Company, examining working conditions and factors influencing productivity.

The emergence of empirical sociology marked a boundary between two approaches to the study of society. The first is social philosophy, or theoretical sociology, which aims to develop overarching worldview concepts that elucidate the nature of society, social action, and fundamental societal categories. Empirical sociology, in contrast, focuses on gathering and synthesizing data. It has developed methods such as surveys, interviews, document analysis, and testimony evaluation to collect the most accurate empirical data. While empirical sociology does not aim to explain the nature of society, it seeks to address questions about the actions people take in various situations. Today, empirical sociology is an integral part of political, economic, cultural research, as well as marketing and political technology.