According to Durkheim, it is possible to make the claim of being Science, as systematization, classification and offering explanation on the basis of which of the following?

Question

Prepp Team · Accepted Answer

Understanding Durkheim's Approach to Sociology as a Science

Emile Durkheim, a foundational figure in sociology, aimed to establish sociology as a rigorous science, much like the natural sciences. To achieve this, he argued that sociology must have its own distinct subject matter that could be studied objectively using scientific methods. He called this subject matter 'social facts'.

Social Facts and the Criterion of Externality

Durkheim defined social facts as ways of acting, thinking, and feeling external to the individual and endowed with a coercive power by reason of which they control him. The key characteristic he emphasized for social facts, which makes them amenable to scientific study, is their externality.

Social facts exist outside the individual consciousness. They are not simply individual thoughts or feelings.
Examples include laws, morals, customs, fashion, and social institutions. These exist independently of any single individual's will or awareness.
Because social facts are external, they can be observed and classified from the outside, similar to how natural scientists study physical objects.
This externality allows for objectivity in sociological study, moving away from subjective interpretations.

Durkheim argued that by focusing on these external social facts, sociology could achieve the systematization, classification, and objective explanation required to claim the status of a science.

Analyzing the Options

Let's consider why externality is the basis Durkheim highlighted, compared to the other options provided:

Option	Explanation in Durkheim's Context	Relevance to Durkheim's Basis for Science
Externality	Social facts exist outside individual consciousness.	Crucial basis. Allows for objective observation, classification, and explanation, making scientific study possible. Durkheim strongly emphasized studying social facts "as things" from the outside.
Falsifiability	The possibility for a theory to be proven wrong. (A concept more associated with philosopher Karl Popper).	Not Durkheim's primary criterion for defining the subject matter of sociology as scientific. While scientific theories should ideally be testable (and thus potentially falsifiable), Durkheim's core argument for sociology's scientific status rested on the nature of social facts themselves being external and observable.
Internality	Existing within the individual mind or consciousness (e.g., personal feelings, thoughts).	Rejected basis. Durkheim explicitly argued against reducing social phenomena to internal psychological states, stating that sociology studies social facts, which are external to the individual.
Subjectivity	Based on personal opinions, feelings, and interpretations; lack of objectivity.	Opposite of Durkheim's goal. Durkheim sought to make sociology objective, studying social facts like natural scientists study nature. Subjectivity was seen as a barrier to scientific sociology.

Conclusion: Why Externality is the Key

Durkheim's central argument for sociology's scientific credibility was based on the premise that social phenomena, in the form of social facts, possess the characteristic of externality. This externality allows them to be treated as objective data, studied through observation and comparison, leading to systematization, classification, and the development of causal explanations, thereby fulfilling the requirements of a science in Durkheim's view.

Therefore, according to Durkheim, it is the externality of social facts that makes the claim of sociology being a science, capable of systematization, classification, and offering explanation, possible.

Revision Table: Key Concepts

Concept	Brief Definition	Relevance to Durkheim's Sociology
Social Facts	Ways of acting, thinking, or feeling, external to the individual and coercive.	The unique subject matter of sociology that makes it a distinct science.
Externality	Existence outside individual consciousness.	A primary characteristic of social facts enabling objective, scientific study.
Coercion	The power of social facts to constrain individual behavior.	Another key characteristic of social facts, demonstrating their reality and influence.

Additional Information: Studying Social Facts Objectively

Durkheim, in his work “The Rules of Sociological Method,” laid out principles for studying social facts scientifically. He urged sociologists to:

Treat social facts as 'things' — external realities to be observed, not internal states to be introspected.
Discard all preconceptions or prejudices about social phenomena.
Define the social facts being studied by their common external characteristics.
Distinguish between normal and pathological social facts.
Explain social facts by relating them to other social facts, not to individual psychology.

These rules collectively aimed to ensure that the study of social facts maintained scientific objectivity, grounding sociology's claim as a science on the basis of the observable, external nature of its subject matter.

Prepp Team · Answer

Falsifiability

Prepp Team · Answer

Internality

Prepp Team · Answer

Subjectivity

	List I Books		List II Authors
A	The Elementary Forms of Religious life	1	M. N. Srinivas
B	Religion and Society among Coorgs of South	2	Alfred Kroeber
C	The Science of Culture	3	Emile Durkheim
D	The Nature of Culture	4	Leslie White

List-I Books		List-II Authors
A.	Social Change	1.	Neil J. Smelser
B.	The Sociology of Economic Life	2.	William J. Goode
C.	The Family	3.	Wilbert E. Moore
D.	Social Stratification: The Forms and Functions of Inequality	4.	Melvin Tumin