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Global Health Econ Sustain Weber and Martineau: Bias in sociological method

occur due to customary and habitual practices, employing Comte’s classic work Course in Positive Philosophy, Harriet
superficial rationality (Alcantara, 2020). Martineau had interactions with a wide array of thinkers,
In Weber’s Comprehensive Sociology, he considered such as Charles Dickens, Charlotte Brontë, George Eliot,
two levels of sociological analysis: A micro-sociological Thomas Malthus, Florence Nightingale, and Charles
level, where the discussion revolves around the actor and Darwin. These individuals undoubtedly influenced her
the action (social relationship), and a macro-sociological way of thinking and acting. In 1834, Martineau embarked
level, where the discussion focuses on the social structure, on a 2-year journey through America during which she
that is, the social order (Garcez, 2014). Although Max “began to outline some ideas on how to be a “philosophical
Weber did not have a sociological production process traveler,” an “observer of morals,” that is, how to employ
centrally focused on men, he failed to meet the demands a specific method for observing and rigorously reporting
of including the discussion on gender in knowledge on the habits and ways of life of other societies” (Daflon
production (Mariano, 2008). Furthermore, he also did not & Campos, 2022, p. 77). This effort gave rise to her book
incorporate information previously produced by women, How to Observe: Morals and Manners (Martineau, 2021),
even if such productions resemble his way of thinking and first published in 1838, which has been considered the first
conducting scientific knowledge. book to systematize methods for social science research
(Daflon & Campos, 2022). It is noteworthy that “Martineau
3.2. Harriet Martineau as a proponent of a reflected on what it meant to produce knowledge about
sociological research method human beings, valuing symbols, meanings, and emotions,
Harriet Martineau is a historical figure who has become thus seeking to develop a methodology capable of capturing
highly significant in sociology in recent years. In a these dimensions” (Daflon & Campos, 2022, p. 83). From
scientific field that has predominantly been male- a methodological point of view, her work was compared
dominated, Martineau stood out (Sell, 2017; Alcantara, with several authors such as Alexis de Tocqueville, and her
2020). It is noteworthy that “the absence of women among influence on other individuals such as Emile Durkheim
the classics would be justified, therefore, by the supposed (Hill & Hoecker-Drysdale, 2001).
condition of being excluded from history” (Daflon & Sorj, The content of her methodological work, How to Observe:
2021, p. 10). Interestingly, it is sometimes claimed that Morals and Manners, bore a strong resemblance to what
“those who eventually managed to write and publish did would come to be known as the interpretive paradigm of
not address the truly relevant topics for the development the social sciences, as formulated by Max Weber (Seymour
of sociology...” (Daflon & Sorj, 2021, p. 11). However, Martin Lipset, 1962, cited in Daflon & Campos, 2022, p. 91).
this argument can be widely refuted by numerous works Initially, Martineau argued that the observing person, often
and analytical perspectives. To cite two books, Classics of referred to as a “traveler” in her work, needs to possess
th
Social Thought: Women and Feminisms in the 19 Century certain requirements for observation, which can be grouped
(Daflon & Sorj, 2021) and Pioneers of Sociology: Intellectual into philosophical requirements, moral requirements, and
Women in the Centuries XVIII and XIX (Daflon & Campos, mechanical requirements, the latter depicting the modes
2022) presented the stories of over a dozen women who of transportation used by the observer (carriages, trains,
made significant contributions to sociological thought. walking, etc.) and the best times to do so. In this regard,
Within this context, we find Harriet Martineau, an she emphasized that “...the powers of observation can
Englishwoman born in 1802, who had the opportunity to be trained, and habits of methods in the organization of
receive education alongside her seven brothers. She studied materials presented to the eyes must be acquired before the
Latin, arithmetic, French, and religion. There is biographical student possesses the requirements to understand what they
and autobiographical material available about this woman contemplate” (Martineau, 2021, p. 25). Regarding the basic
who, driven by a sense of exclusion stemming from her requirements, it is indicated that the observer should not
childhood, developed what came to be known as the “need make hasty decisions about what they observe, nor should
to express herself,” which she did through writing. In her they generalize about the place they observe, as this could
adult life, she faced severe health limitations, including heart lead to the error of engaging in flawed inductive reasoning.
and uterine diseases, as well as early deafness. Nevertheless, Regarding the philosophical requirements, the author
these challenges did not prevent Martineau from becoming explicitly stated that “...the mind of the observer — the
“one of the leading intellectuals and writers of the Victorian instrument by which the work is done — is as essential
Era” (Daflon & Campos, 2022, p. 77). as the material to be wrought. If the instrument be out of
In addition to her extensive literary production in the order, it will produce bad work” (Martineau, 2021, p. 35).
field of sociology, including her 1850 translation of Auguste Moreover, a clear connection can be seen with Max Weber’s

Volume 1 Issue 2 (2023) 5 https://doi.org/10.36922/ghes.0992