The role of theory in social research is that without sociological theory, nothing can be sociological. Facts disconnected from theory are just facts. The theory makes the facts speak; facts do not and cannot speak for themselves. Without connection with other facts, we cannot evaluate anything. With theory you can relate facts to each other. Theory is the set of interrelated logical concepts or universals that connect to empirical facts and phenomena. Empirical research is acceptable as long as it involves theory. Theory helps us select which facts are important and which are not. Theory also allows us to organize the facts. The theory helps us create a story and tell what is the dependent variable and what is the independent variable. Theory directs us to what we do not know, which is the goal of all research in sociology. The theory also allows different concepts of sociology to interact, which allows sociology to progress. Emile Durkheim had affirmed this in “What is a social fact? this reason develops theories and observation supports them. According to Durkheim, social facts are not ideas, they are facts and they are observable. Facts without some theory to support them do not and will not make sense. We talked about this at the very beginning of the semester, about how stating certain statistics like "men earn .75 cents more than women" might be true, but just saying it won't be enough. In sociology, it is a question of determining the reasons which justify the assertion of this fact and what this means for society as a whole. Therefore, facts cannot be isolated without theory because they complement each other in a certain way. Talcott Parsons gives a different example on this subject: “Few, if any, empiricists are content with discrete theories... middle of paper. Because Durkheim came well before Parsons and died when Parsons was essentially a teenager, it was primarily Parsons who built upon Durkheim's work, as highlighted in the paragraphs above through his various theories, however his theories and Durkheim's are very related and have the potential for connection because both of these theorists were engaged in defining social order, and although their answers are not exactly the same, Durkheim's division of labor and social facts and Parsons' unity of action and social systems are quite comparable, as has been explained. above.Works citedDurkheim, Emile. (1984). Mechanical and Organic Solidarity. NY: Free Press. Durkheim, Emile. The rules of the sociological method. NY: Free Press, 1982. Lecture notes. Parsons, Talcott. (1938). The role of theory in social research. American Sociological Review. 3(1), 13-20.