Abstract
The aim of this study is to discuss about the impossibility of being value-free in social sciences that have developed theoretically and methodologically since the 19 th century. Social sciences emerged in the Enlightenment period that has led to many social changes and transformations in western societies. Social sciences which are younger than natural sciences relatively have been influenced by natural sciences crucially in terms of methodology. Moreover, it could be seen that social sciences still have intensive debates regarding theory and methodology because of being new sciences. They developed under the influence of positivist philosophy which accepted the knowledge and methodology of natural sciences in the 19 th century. Therefore, social sciences have been affected by the approaches of being value-free. In the 20 th century, when it is looked at the social sciences’ theories that were affected by the interpretive approach, which was supported by M. Weber, asserted that the researcher who studies a society is the object of the society at the same time, and therefore, the researcher cannot be value free while he/she studies on the society. Ernst Nagel (1979), Gresham Riley (1974), N. Robin (1968) etc. social scientists carried out some studies regarding values judgments in social sciences Classical and contemporary sociological theoreticians have argued intensively regarding being value or value free of social sciences’ methodology. Furthermore, this study is a critique of positivism in respect of its methodological approach that supports to be value-free in social researches. Thus, it is aimed to contribute new aspects to literature for understanding and producing solutions for the problems of societies. Key Words; Social Sciences, Value, Value-free, Positivism, methodology,
Highlights
Social sciences emerged in the 19th century after the intelligence had come into prominence in the Enlightenment period
Social sciences have tended to point out the best research method for achieving social reality for more than 200 years in order to perform social sciences as an independent science of natural sciences
In the 20th century, it has been criticized around being value-free
Summary
Social sciences emerged in the 19th century after the intelligence had come into prominence in the Enlightenment period. The Enlightenment altered and passed a new paradigm in western societies. Many social changes and problems occurred in this period. The power and effect of church on societies started to be eliminated and intelligence was dominant about solving and understanding the demand of societies. Towards the 19th century, in western societies, enormous social, economic and political transformations appeared. Social sciences arose in the 19th century in order to understand and solve societies’ social problems. Because of being young sciences, social sciences have still dealt with some theoretical and methodological debates
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