Question 1(a) · 10 marks · 192 words written
Opening · a direct answer
I partially agree with the statement that common sense is sociological nonsense. This is because common sense is simply the set of unquestioned assumptions and conventional wisdom that allows us to live our lives. Sociology, on the other hand, is the science of society.
Common sense as sociological non-sense
Body · points
Common sense is based on assumptions and intuitions. [Durkheim] pointed out that sociology studies "social facts as things" using empirical methods.
Common sense is unreflective. However, Sociology is subject to endless debates, offering self correction. For instance, [feminist sociologists] have questioned the "malestream" research on family.
Common sense veers towards individual & biological explanations. e.g. people are poor because they are lazy.
Sociology, on the other hand requires placing individual problems in their larger social context, enshrined in [C. W. Mills]' sociological imagination.
Common sense is not entirely useless.
Ethnomethodologists like [Schutz] and [Berger] argue that common sense denotes frames of meanings people actually use in their daily lives.
Common sense aids sociological research by providing initial hypothesis to be subject to testing.
Close · a summary
Hence, [Anthony Giddens] argues that common sense is relevant to but not determinative of sociology.