Kanygin G.V., Poltinnikova M.S. Sociological knowledge as a result of the synthesis of formal and informal methods of studying society. Petersburg’s Sociology Today, 2020. Issue. 13-14, pp. 222-233.

Abstract

Sociological knowledge is created by sociologists who, in one way or another, are forced to interpret the latent knowledge of their various informants. In an attempt to diminish inconsistencies of such interpretations formal methods of non-numerical statistics and informal methods in the form of literary theories were developed. In one way or another, such approaches model social knowledge functionning, which is actually studied by sociologists. However, there is no computer platform aimed to integrate informants's and sociologists's views within a unified conceptual shedule. This article describes how researchers and their informants, based on their common everyday experience, could build up unified knowledge. Such building involves using the program Diagogue created by the authors to express and manage everyday expierence of knowers. All paper's statements are substantiated  using the example of conceptualizing a sociological article.