
doi: 10.1086/220446
pmid: 18145909
Sociologists have always tried to shape their science according to the model of the natural sciences. Critics of sociology object that sociology is not yet and never will be a science of this type. By "natural science" they mean physics, though they do not say so. They ignore other natural sciences, like geology, geography, and meteorology, which deal with objects just as complex and resistant to precision as social phenomena are. In reality, sociology can make studies of both types: precise measurements of small social units and their causal explanation, as in physics, and estimates and low correlations of more complex phenomena, as in geology.
Sociology, Humans, Natural Science Disciplines
Sociology, Humans, Natural Science Disciplines
| selected citations These citations are derived from selected sources. This is an alternative to the "Influence" indicator, which also reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically). | 7 | |
| popularity This indicator reflects the "current" impact/attention (the "hype") of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network. | Average | |
| influence This indicator reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically). | Top 10% | |
| impulse This indicator reflects the initial momentum of an article directly after its publication, based on the underlying citation network. | Average |
