Who developed and employed highly detailed, empirical methods of research?

• A. W.E.B. Du Bois
• B. Max Weber
• C. Herbert Blumer
• D. Robert K. Merton

Answer: (A)

The question examines who first pushed sociology toward highly detailed, data-driven study. W. E. B. Du Bois did this most prominently, especially with The Philadelphia Negro. In that work he treated urban life and race as subjects for careful empirical inquiry, not just theory. He built a rich data set drawn from systematic surveys and records across many households and neighborhoods—covering occupation, income, literacy, housing conditions, health, education, crime, and more—then wove these numbers together with thorough field observations and even city maps to illustrate social realities. This combination of extensive measurement and contextual analysis set a high standard for empirical sociology and helped show how data can reveal patterns of inequality that aren’t visible from theory alone.

Max Weber, while incredibly influential for his rigorous approach and use of qualitative analysis and ideal types, emphasized interpretive understanding rather than the sheer scale of empirical data collection seen in Du Bois’s work. Herbert Blumer contributed to empirical fieldwork through symbolic interactionism and participant observation, but his hallmark is framing social life through interaction and meaning rather than producing expansive, data-rich urban studies. Robert K. Merton advanced methodological and theoretical contributions, including middle-range theories, yet the iconic example of highly detailed empirical urban research tied to race and city life is Du Bois’s Philadelphia study.