[1] Empirical sociology is often concerned with aspects of everyday life with common sense, which it treats as a resource, a form of knowledge.
[3] Empirical sociology is an American tradition with roots in the social reform movements of the Progressive Era.
[5] The German sociologist Ferdinand Tönnies defined empirical sociology as the collection of factual information or evidence.
[8] The first stage of empirical sociology was represented by the changes introduced into the scientific procedure by the Chicago school between 1895 and 1929.
[11] Austrian philosopher of science and sociologist Otto Neurath was instrumental in the development of empirical sociology.