Formal sociology is a
scientific approach
The scientific method is an empirical method for acquiring knowledge that has characterized the development of science since at least the 17th century (with notable practitioners in previous centuries; see the article history of scientific me ...
to sociology developed by
Georg Simmel
Georg Simmel (; ; 1 March 1858 – 26 September 1918) was a German sociologist, philosopher, and critic.
Simmel was influential in the field of sociology. Simmel was one of the first generation of German sociologists: his neo-Kantian approach l ...
and
Leopold von Wiese.
[Formal Sociology: The Sociology of Georg Simmel (Schools of Thought in Sociology), Larry Ray, Edward Elgar Pub, 1991] In his studies, Simmel was more focused on forms of social interactions rather than content. This is why his approach to sociology became labeled as formal sociology. In formal sociology, one formal concept can be applied to understand various events.
From Simmel's point of view, one form of a social phenomenon is always associated with many formal events. The aim of formal sociology is to reveal that although the process of social interaction may be very complex, the social forms of these interactions can be isolated and may even be found to be identical.
References
Critical theory
Social change
Social concepts
Sociological theories
{{critical-theory-stub