Philosophical justifications for research methodology

Philosophy of research is basically related to the fact that there is no overarching, generally accepted truth. Statements about reality are based on assumptions and mankind has continuously researched into the world around basing this research on assumptions. The quest to understand has thus also led to a philosophy of research.

There are several philosophical justifications for the experimental research method in sociology. The idea of experimental research is founded on the principle of observation. The coordinator of the experiment is manipulating a variable or variables in order to obtain a certain manifestation from another variable. The latter is monitored in order to better understand a particular sociological group for which the respective variable is representative.

The philosophical justification in sociology is that experimental research emphasizes the causal relationship between variables. By reducing sociological realities, particularly the relationships between individuals, to variables and almost statistical information, one can better ensure that the eventual result mirrors the sociological reality.

Another philosophical explanation could be that experimental research is more suitable to analyze groups of individuals. Philosophically speaking, experimental research is based on a certain demiurgic retreat of the person conducting the study. The analyzer pulls back and allows the participants to interact with one another in a non-deterministic manner. This, in turn, guarantees, to some degree, the fact that the interactions are natural, reflecting a reality.

So, experimental research is more appropriate in sociology because the element that is researched here does not require a minute individual examination, but rather an analysis of the evolution, the interactions and of processes and larger group characteristics. The researcher can pull back and simply observe. There is a distinct lack of subjectivism in this scenario, because of the lack of intervention.

Experimental research implies a deductive approach, by which the researcher starts with a theory that he wants to prove. He associates variables to this theory, manipulates them and observes the result of these manipulations in society or in a group. The results of the observations are likely to confirm or infirm the validity of the initial theory.

With participant observation, the researcher is immersed in the group he is studying. The advantages of this type of immersion is that observation is keener, more focused on details and more directed towards individual parts of the group rather than the group as a whole. This is not the demiurgic method, the researcher is involved, which can also mean that he is a lot more subjective and that he could unconsciously manipulate results and observations.