causesfreehypothesisinappropriateknowledgelawsMarxismnaturalobjectiveobservationPositivistPostmodernistsqualitativequantitativereliablerigorousscientificsubjectivesuicidetestingthinkthoughttrendsunderstand sociologists believe that human behaviour in society is governed by discoverable social causesfreehypothesisinappropriateknowledgelawsMarxismnaturalobjectiveobservationPositivistPostmodernistsqualitativequantitativereliablerigorousscientificsubjectivesuicidetestingthinkthoughttrendsunderstand. If sociologists study the observable features of society in a causesfreehypothesisinappropriateknowledgelawsMarxismnaturalobjectiveobservationPositivistPostmodernistsqualitativequantitativereliablerigorousscientificsubjectivesuicidetestingthinkthoughttrendsunderstand way they believe they can uncover these social laws. Positivists just like scientists use causesfreehypothesisinappropriateknowledgelawsMarxismnaturalobjectiveobservationPositivistPostmodernistsqualitativequantitativereliablerigorousscientificsubjectivesuicidetestingthinkthoughttrendsunderstand methods which are causesfreehypothesisinappropriateknowledgelawsMarxismnaturalobjectiveobservationPositivistPostmodernistsqualitativequantitativereliablerigorousscientificsubjectivesuicidetestingthinkthoughttrendsunderstand and value free.
For these reasons positivist sociologists favour causesfreehypothesisinappropriateknowledgelawsMarxismnaturalobjectiveobservationPositivistPostmodernistsqualitativequantitativereliablerigorousscientificsubjectivesuicidetestingthinkthoughttrendsunderstand methods and data. For positivists research findings and methods must be subject to rigorous causesfreehypothesisinappropriateknowledgelawsMarxismnaturalobjectiveobservationPositivistPostmodernistsqualitativequantitativereliablerigorousscientificsubjectivesuicidetestingthinkthoughttrendsunderstand procedures. Data must be causesfreehypothesisinappropriateknowledgelawsMarxismnaturalobjectiveobservationPositivistPostmodernistsqualitativequantitativereliablerigorousscientificsubjectivesuicidetestingthinkthoughttrendsunderstand.

An example of positivist sociology is Durkheim’s study of causesfreehypothesisinappropriateknowledgelawsMarxismnaturalobjectiveobservationPositivistPostmodernistsqualitativequantitativereliablerigorousscientificsubjectivesuicidetestingthinkthoughttrendsunderstand. Durkheim established a hypothesis and gathered quantitative data using appropriate methods (the comparative method). Durkheim argued that his results were reliable and supported his causesfreehypothesisinappropriateknowledgelawsMarxismnaturalobjectiveobservationPositivistPostmodernistsqualitativequantitativereliablerigorousscientificsubjectivesuicidetestingthinkthoughttrendsunderstand.

Interpretivists (interactionists) do not believe that human behaviour can be understood in this way. Humans causesfreehypothesisinappropriateknowledgelawsMarxismnaturalobjectiveobservationPositivistPostmodernistsqualitativequantitativereliablerigorousscientificsubjectivesuicidetestingthinkthoughttrendsunderstand and reflect have consciousness and causesfreehypothesisinappropriateknowledgelawsMarxismnaturalobjectiveobservationPositivistPostmodernistsqualitativequantitativereliablerigorousscientificsubjectivesuicidetestingthinkthoughttrendsunderstand will. This makes the study of the social world fundamentally different from the study of the causesfreehypothesisinappropriateknowledgelawsMarxismnaturalobjectiveobservationPositivistPostmodernistsqualitativequantitativereliablerigorousscientificsubjectivesuicidetestingthinkthoughttrendsunderstand world. An approach which mirrors the natural scientific approach is therefore seen by interpretivists as causesfreehypothesisinappropriateknowledgelawsMarxismnaturalobjectiveobservationPositivistPostmodernistsqualitativequantitativereliablerigorousscientificsubjectivesuicidetestingthinkthoughttrendsunderstand as the items scientists tend to study - atoms, chemicals etc. do not have the power of causesfreehypothesisinappropriateknowledgelawsMarxismnaturalobjectiveobservationPositivistPostmodernistsqualitativequantitativereliablerigorousscientificsubjectivesuicidetestingthinkthoughttrendsunderstand and reflection.

In order to understand human beings interpretivists argue that sociologists must get to causesfreehypothesisinappropriateknowledgelawsMarxismnaturalobjectiveobservationPositivistPostmodernistsqualitativequantitativereliablerigorousscientificsubjectivesuicidetestingthinkthoughttrendsunderstand the reasons why social actors behave in an observable way. This can only be achieved through the study of causesfreehypothesisinappropriateknowledgelawsMarxismnaturalobjectiveobservationPositivistPostmodernistsqualitativequantitativereliablerigorousscientificsubjectivesuicidetestingthinkthoughttrendsunderstand data (thoughts, feelings, ideas and attitudes) generated by qualitative research methods such as causesfreehypothesisinappropriateknowledgelawsMarxismnaturalobjectiveobservationPositivistPostmodernistsqualitativequantitativereliablerigorousscientificsubjectivesuicidetestingthinkthoughttrendsunderstand. E.G. Philip Bourgois’ covert observation of crack cocaine dealers

causesfreehypothesisinappropriateknowledgelawsMarxismnaturalobjectiveobservationPositivistPostmodernistsqualitativequantitativereliablerigorousscientificsubjectivesuicidetestingthinkthoughttrendsunderstand are critical of all overarching theories or "met narratives" such as causesfreehypothesisinappropriateknowledgelawsMarxismnaturalobjectiveobservationPositivistPostmodernistsqualitativequantitativereliablerigorousscientificsubjectivesuicidetestingthinkthoughttrendsunderstand or functionalism. They are also critical of the notion that even the most causesfreehypothesisinappropriateknowledgelawsMarxismnaturalobjectiveobservationPositivistPostmodernistsqualitativequantitativereliablerigorousscientificsubjectivesuicidetestingthinkthoughttrendsunderstand methods can uncover an causesfreehypothesisinappropriateknowledgelawsMarxismnaturalobjectiveobservationPositivistPostmodernistsqualitativequantitativereliablerigorousscientificsubjectivesuicidetestingthinkthoughttrendsunderstand truth. For a post modernist all claims of objectivity are actually causesfreehypothesisinappropriateknowledgelawsMarxismnaturalobjectiveobservationPositivistPostmodernistsqualitativequantitativereliablerigorousscientificsubjectivesuicidetestingthinkthoughttrendsunderstand and should be viewed sceptically. E.G. Anthony Giddens.

This contrasts to Realist sociology. Realists believe that sociology can systematically produce real objective causesfreehypothesisinappropriateknowledgelawsMarxismnaturalobjectiveobservationPositivistPostmodernistsqualitativequantitativereliablerigorousscientificsubjectivesuicidetestingthinkthoughttrendsunderstand about society and the structures which affect our lives. E.G Sayer and Bhaskar. Realists believe that the objective social causesfreehypothesisinappropriateknowledgelawsMarxismnaturalobjectiveobservationPositivistPostmodernistsqualitativequantitativereliablerigorousscientificsubjectivesuicidetestingthinkthoughttrendsunderstand of events and causesfreehypothesisinappropriateknowledgelawsMarxismnaturalobjectiveobservationPositivistPostmodernistsqualitativequantitativereliablerigorousscientificsubjectivesuicidetestingthinkthoughttrendsunderstand can be uncovered through a scientific approach.