Micro- and macro-environments in methodology of empirical research

Abstract: 
The article is devoted to presentation of a new methodological idea — the statement of presence of two essentially different and additional systems of substantiation of empirical knowledge in sociology, insistency of their differentiation and understanding of their specificities. One system is traditional — here the essence of empirical knowledge is discussed in frameworks, in logic of some generalised sociological research. Methodological workings out are built on stages of empirical research and more likely describe the preparation “recipe” of a general decision on each one, than discuss problematical character of achievement of adequate, significant, heuristic social knowledge. The second system which is declared by us, is connected with under-standing of the basic importance of social macro-environment, “external” in relation to a direct research. We represent macro-environment through influence of such “macro-elements”: “the actual social epoch”, “sociology” and “the sociological community”; “the researcher”, “the respondent”, “the method”, “the resources”, etc. Introduction of the importance of social macro-environment into meth-odological reasoning allows to reach certain completeness in comprehension of potential and quality of sociological knowledge. Influence on an investigation of social macro-environment has universal character, comprehension of this moment is represented essentially important not only for sociology.

For citation: Saganenko G.I. Micro- and macro-environments in methodology of empirical research. St. Petersburg Sociology Today. 2009. N. 1. P. 13-40.

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