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What is analytic sociology? 


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Analytical sociology (AS) is a research program within sociology that focuses on social interactions among individuals and the aggregate outcomes they produce. It seeks to identify generalizable mechanisms that give rise to emergent social phenomena. AS emphasizes the construction of causal explanations in the social sciences and prioritizes rational choices of individuals as key mechanisms. It also utilizes simulation methods and agent-based modeling to study social phenomena. AS shares principles and methods with rigorous sociology (RS) and can be seen as a specific research program within RS. It has the potential to contribute to reducing sociology's fragmentation and improving the quality standards of the discipline. AS offers clear explanations for various social phenomena and can play an important role in the future of sociology.

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Analytical sociology is a discipline that focuses on explaining individual actions and restoring Merton's mid-range theory. It uses causalist language and emphasizes the moral dimension of scientific endeavor.
Analytical sociology is an approach in sociology that aims to explain social phenomena by identifying and analyzing specific mechanisms at both micro and macro levels.
Open accessJournal ArticleDOI
01 Jan 2018
50 Citations
Analytical sociology focuses on social interactions among individuals and the hard-to-predict aggregate outcomes they bring about.
Open accessBook ChapterDOI
10 Jun 2022
Analytical sociology is described as a research program within rigorous sociology that aims to reduce fragmentation and improve the quality standards of the discipline.

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