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<p>We argue that the philosophical distinction between the&#xa0;“good”&#xa0;and the&#xa0;“right”&#xa0;is helpful in discerning the plurality of normative stakes in sociological accounts.&#xa0;Our argument stands in contrast to other approaches&#xa0;to the question of normativity in sociology on several grounds.&#xa0;Primarily,&#xa0;we locate the normative content of sociological accounts in their actual explanatory, descriptive, or interpretative empirical models, rather than in&#xa0;their&#xa0;deep theoretical cores.&#xa0;We contend&#xa0;that sociologists inevitably engage in normativity, even when employing empirical constructs that appear unanchored from robust theoretical commitments. Furthermore,&#xa0;we propose&#xa0;that appeals to the good life and justice cut across different types of sociological accounts.&#xa0;Surveying a number of celebrated theoretical and empirical studies, drawn from a variety of sociological subfields, we bring to light how these normative modalities take shape in routine applications and discussions of three sociological concepts: (1) <i>agency</i>, (2) <i>structures</i>, and (3) <i>processes</i>.</p>

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Between Description and Evaluation: How Sociologists Do Normativity

  • 期刊论文

  • 出版模式：

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  • 发表日期：

    2025年3月31日

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  • Sebastian Raza,
  • Galen Watts

摘要

We argue that the philosophical distinction between the “good” and the “right” is helpful in discerning the plurality of normative stakes in sociological accounts. Our argument stands in contrast to other approaches to the question of normativity in sociology on several grounds. Primarily, we locate the normative content of sociological accounts in their actual explanatory, descriptive, or interpretative empirical models, rather than in their deep theoretical cores. We contend that sociologists inevitably engage in normativity, even when employing empirical constructs that appear unanchored from robust theoretical commitments. Furthermore, we propose that appeals to the good life and justice cut across different types of sociological accounts. Surveying a number of celebrated theoretical and empirical studies, drawn from a variety of sociological subfields, we bring to light how these normative modalities take shape in routine applications and discussions of three sociological concepts: (1) agency, (2) structures, and (3) processes.