Empiricism in Sociology and Social Integration in Durkheim

Abstract

One of the essential problems in the history of Sociology is the question of where and how we can find its base as an empirical science. It is the purpose of this paper to elucidate the relationship between this question and the desire of sociologists for social integration. My assumption is that this problem can be solved by tracing Durkheim's evolution on sociological methodology. It is arguably one of the turning points in the future development of Sociology.