RM-Lecture 2-Philosophy of Social Science | Quizlet

What are the three philosophies of social science?

Positivism

Scientific Realism

Interpretivism

Who developed positivism?

Auguste Comte

French Philosopher

What is the basic idea of positivism?

Attempting to find a truth through systematic collection of observable facts

What are some positivistic positions?

Classical

Logical Positivism

Critique of Logical Positivism

What are the basic tenets of Classical positivism?

Naturalism

Social science=natural science

Empiricism

Our knowledge of the world is limited to what cane be directly observed

The social world is subject to regular and systematic processes

Induction

What are the basic tenets of logical positivism?

Empiricism + Logical reasoning

There must be logical reasoning behind an argument in order to establish a law

Deduction

Retroduction

What is Induction

Making observations and creating a theory based on the observations

What is Deduction

Looking at specific elements of a general theory to see if they hold true

What is retroduction?

Coming up with a theory that could explain a specific observation

What did Karl Popper critique about logical positivism?

He didn't like the verification principle. He said it was pointless. Falsification should be the goal.

What is the deductive nomological model?

Theory by Carl Gustav Hempel

An observed phenomenon is explained if it can be deduced from a universal law-like generalisation

Hypothetico-deductive model

A model in which two mutually exclusive hypotheses that together exhaust all possible outcomes are tested, such that if one hypothesis is accepted, the second must therefore be rejected.

What is the basic idea of scientific realism?

Similar to positivism

But

Reality can consist of unobservable elements

These unobservable phenomenon can be empirically observed

What is the "best" theory in scientific realism?

The one that explains a phenomenon the best

What is used in scientific realism instead of law-like generalisations?

Causal mechanisms

What is the basic idea of interpretivism?

The social world is different from the natural world

The social world is subjectively created.

Human behaviour is understood through interpretations

What are some examples of interpretivist approaches?

Hermeneutics

Critical theory

Constructivism

Post-Colonialism

Feminism

What does ontology focus on?

What the nature of the social world is

Is there an objective and/or subjective reality?

What does epistemology focus on?

What we can know about social phenomena

What does methodology focus on?

How we can obtain knowledge

What are some ways we could potentially distinguish between objectivity and values?

Transparency

- Self disclosure

- Critical examination by scientific community

What are some important ideas developed by Thomas Kuhn?

Science is a social institution

The scientific community subscribes to a common view

"truth" is based on consensus in the scientific community

Definition of objects, norms and methods of investigation

What is the name of Kuhns most famous work?

The structure of scientific revolutions?

What are some important ideas developed by Imre Lakatos?

When scientists gradually build on and add to their research over time, it helps to grow our understanding of the world

What are novel facts (Lakatos)?

Unexpected observations that challenge or reinforce existing theoretical frameworks

What is the name of Lakatos most famous work?

Falsification and the methodology of scientific research programs