philosophy of science

I give up

Positivism - people

Auguste Comte, John Stuart Mill, Émile Durkheim, Vienna Circle

Positivism - characteristics

all branches of science universal; realism; empiricism: something exist only if we observe it and induction; value-neutrality: logos and doxa; individuals are rational and act accordance to what is optimal; correspondence; nomothetic: create general laws

Hermeneutics - people

Friedrich Schleiermacher, Wilhelm Dilthey, Martin Heidegger, Hans-Georg Gadamer, Clifford Geertz

Hermeneutics - characteristics

challenges unity; realism: opinions studied exist in reality and research needs to identify them; interpretation: text and speech and signs to analyse their hidden meaning and significance; not value-free: own prejudice form the starting point and as the researcher goes new preconception; individuals are intentional and there's always reason behind their actions; coherence; ideographic: to understand the particular

phenomenology - characteristics

challenges unity; idealistic; rejects dualism of ontology and epistemology and something only comes into existence as we experience and know of it; never value free; individuals and their consciousness are intentional; coherence; ideographic: understand particular and stuff often considered self-evident

phenomenology - people

Edmund Husserl, Martin Heidegger, Maurice Merleau-Ponty

critical theory - characteristics

challenges unity; historical realism; critical-reflexive: knowledge creation is interest driven and power-shaped; should never be value-free; individuals are social beings who hold power over each other; pragmatic; emancipatory: the goal is to change the world rather than understand it

critical theory - people

rankfurt school, Max Horkheimer, Theodor Adorno, Jürgen Habermas, Judith Butler, Edward Said

Symbolic interactionism - characteristics

challenges unity; social constructivism; interpretation of symbols and actions; no value neutrality but values are not the foundation of research; individuals produce their self through social interaction; coherence; understand social meaning making

symbolic interactionism - people

Erving Goffman, Clifford Geertz, Victor Turner

structuralism - characteristics

new form of unity; structural realism; formalism: knowledge comes from analysing structures rather than experiences; strives for value-neutral; people are formed and restrained by structures rather than individual agency; correspondence; both understand and explain structures and their meaning

structuralism + critical realism - people

Ferdinand de Saussure, Claude Lévi-Strauss, Roy Bhaskar

practice theory - characteristics

against unity; relational realism; practice based empiricism: knowledge comes from observing practices; description are more important than value: we describe what people do not what they ought to do; humans are carriers of practices: human action shaped my materials and habits not intention or social structure; pragmatic; to understand how social and material practice are performed in everyday lifepractice theory - people

practice theory - people

Pierre Bourdieu

social constructivism - characteristics

rejects unity; constructivism; knowledged is always coloured by time and place so changeable; rejects value-neutral; people are constructers of reality and individuals are representatives of the collective; coherence; identifying the way in which thoughts are established used and changed

social constructivism - people

Michel Foucault

actor network theory - characteristics

rejects unity; materialist realism; empiricism: observation and description of actants; rejects value-neutral; humans are actants with as much agency as non-human; pragmatic; identifying how actants form and transform networks

actor network theory - people

Michel Gallon

what is the central question studied by ontology?

it studies the nature of being, existence and reality

according to the realist perspective in ontology what is the nature of reality?

an objective reality exists independent of human perception and there is a discoverable truth

what is the core tenet of constructivism?

reality is socially constructed and understanding is relative

which dimension does idealism claim moves mankind to act?

intellectual dimension, like God, culture, ethics or rationality

what does materialism posit as the most important aspect of reality?

physical matter, focusing on the direct, observable reality

what fundamental question does epistemology address?

how we acquire knowledge, and its limits (how we know stuff)

knowledge primarily comes from sensory experiences and interaction with the real world according to what?

empiricism

rationalism posits that knowledge is derive from what source?

from logic and reasoning, with theories developed through deduction

which form of reasoning moves from a general theory to a specific hypothesis and observation?

deduction

which form of reasoning observes specific patterns to form a general hypothesis and theory?

Induction

what is the core focus of anthropology?

focus on the actor, specifically the debate between structure and agency

What is axiology concerned with?

study of values and the reaction between a researcher's values and scientific inquiry

what is the view of scientific progress known as cumulative science

views knowledge as building gradually and linearly over time, where new findings expand existing theories

according to Karl Popper how does science progress?

science progresses by testing and falsifying theories not by verifying them

what concept did Karl Popper introduce to separate science from non-science?

the demarcation problem

Thomas Kuhn argued science evolves through sudden revolutions called..?

paradigm shifts

In Kuhn's model what is normal science?

it is the puzzle-solving activity that occurs within a dominating scientific paradigm

According to Kuhn, what can lead to a paradigm shift?

the accumulation of too many anomalies that do not fit into the dominating paradigm

what did Imre Lakatos propose as the unit of scientific progress instead of isolated theories?

science progresses through research programmes that evolve over time

in Lakatos' research programmes what is the hard core?

the fundamental assumptions that are share by all theories within the programme

In Lakatos' model what is the protective belt?

a set of secondary assumptions and theories that can be changed without altering the hard core

what distinguishes a progressive research programme from a degenerative one according to Lakatos?

a progressive one successfully predicts new phenomena while a degenerative one only explains anomalies after they appear

what is the main argument of Paul Feyerabend's anything goes philosophy?

science holds no special value over other forms of knowledge, and there are no universal rules for scientific progress

In Stephan Toulmin's model of argumentation what is the warrant?

the reasoning, often implicit, that connects the data to the claim

correspondence theory of truth?

a statement is true if it corresponds to observable facts of reality

In Stephan Toulmin's model of argumentation what is the qualifier?

indicates the strength of the claim and in which cases it is true or not true

In Stephan Toulmin's model of argumentation what is the rebuttal?

counterarguments where the original claim is not true

what is the criterion for truth according to the coherence theory?

a statement is deemed true if it fits consistently into a broader system of beliefs and knowledge

Pragmatic theory of truth judges statement's truth based on what?

a statement is considered true if it is useful in practice and helps solve problems or achieve goals

what is the ontological assumption of positivism?

realism, meaning reality is external and can be apprehended

what is the epistemological foundation of positivism?

empiricism, which relies on induction and verification through observation

what is the purpose of study according to positivism?

nomothetic: purpose is to create general laws that can explain and predict phenomena

who is considered the founder of positivism?

Auguste Comte

what is the axiology of positivism?

value neutrality, distinction between logos (objective knowledge) and dosa (belief)

what are the three stages of societal progress according to Auguste Comte?

theological (explanation based on supernatural beliefs), metaphysical (explanations based on abstract principles) and positivism (explanations based on empirical evidence and scientific reasoning)

What did Émile Durkheim define as social facts?

external, collective, and constraining factors that guide human behaviour such as norms and language

what was the core tenet of the Vienna circle's logical positivism known as the verification principle?

a statement is only meaningful if it ca be verified either empirically or as a logical/analytical statement

What is John Stuart Mill's five methods regarding positivism?

method of agreement, method of difference, join method of the two, method of residues, method of concomitant variation (change in one also change in the other - must be a link)

What is the ontological stance of post-positivism?

critical realim, which holds that reality exists but is only imperfectly and probabilistically apprehensible

What is the purpose of study in Hermeneutics?

Ideographic: to understand the particular and unique aspects of a phenomenon

what epistemological approach is central to Hermeneutics?

interpretation which involves analysing the hidden meaning and significance of texts, speech or signs

What is the ontological view of Hermeneutics?

Realism: opinions and meanings studied exist in reality, and it is the researcher's job to identify them

what is the axiology of Hermeneutics?

Not value-free: own prejudice and preconceptions form the starting point for the research and as the research goes on, new preconceptions then form the starting point

what theory of truth is aligning with positivism?

correspondence theory (pos)

what theory of truth is aligning with hermeneutics?

coherence theory (her)

How did Friedrich Schleiermacher broaden the scope of hermeneutics?

he moved from dealing only with sacred texts to interpreting every text, focusing on the author's intentions

How does positivism think about the unity of science?

all branches of science are universal

How does hermeneutics think about the unity of science?

it challenges it, distinguish human science from natural

What paradigm is Wilhelm Dilthey part of and how does he describe the core understanding of human activity?

emotional empathy: to understand the intentions of the author, we must be able to put ourselves in their context

How did Martin Heidegger shift the focus of hermeneutics?

shifted it from a methodological focus on authorial intention to an ontological one where understanding is how we exist, not a method to apply (Dasein - being in the world)

What is the fusion of horizons in Hans-Georg Gadamer's hermeneutics?

the process where our own historical and cultural preconceptions merge with the context of the phenomenon being interpreted, leading to new understanding

What is thick description regarding hermeneutics and who was its pioneer?

Clifford Geertz: an interpretive method that focuses on the web of meanings behind cultural practices and symbols, rather than just the practices themselves, culture as a text

What is the ontological view of phenomenology?

both idealistic and materialistic at once, but a little more idealistic (?)

what is the epistemology regarding phenomenology?

rejects dualism between ontology and epistemology, something only comes into existence as we experience and know of it

what is the axiology of phenomenology?

science can never be value-free

what is the theory of truth associated with phenomenology?

coherence theory (phen)

what is the purpose of study in phenomenology?

ideographic: to understand the particular or something often considered self-evident, not to learn something new

How does phenomenology view unity of science?

challenges it (phen)

In Edmund Husserl's phenomenology what is epoch or bracketing?

the practice of suspending one's assumptions and judgements to focus on the pure, first person experience of a phenomenon

what is the lifeworld or lebenswelt according to Husserl?

the world as it is experiences in everyday life, before scientific interpretations are applied

what is Martin Heidegger's phenomenological view?

existence over essence: instead of looking at one objective essence of a phenomenon, it only makes sense to talk of its existence in the world, we understand things not by what they are, but how they exist for us in the world

How did Maurice Merleau-Ponty critique Cartesian dualism (separation of mind and body)?

concept of embodied perception: the mind and body are not separate, we understand the world through the whole lived body

What is the primary purpose of study in Critical Theory?

emancipatory: the goal is to change the world by critiquing and challenging power structures, rather than just understanding it

What is the ontological view in Critical theory?

historical realism

what is the epistemology connected to critical theory?

Critical-reflexive: knowledge creation is interest-driven and power-shaped

what is the axiology regarding critical theory?

science should never be value-free

how does critical theory stand regarding unity of science?

challenges it (critical)

critical theory holds what theory of truth?

pragmatic theory (crit)

which group of intellectuals is associated with the development of critical theory?

the frankfurt school

According to Horkheimer and Adorno in critical theory, how has enlightenment reason become instrumental?

it became a tool for control, domination and efficiency, suppressing individuality and critical thought

What is the culture industry as described by Theodor Adorno?

a system of mass-produced entertainment designed to control audiences by promoting conformity, standardisation, distraction and false needs

Hod does Jürgen Habermas' concept of communicative action contrast with instrumental reason?

communicative action achieves understanding through rational dialogue, whereas instrumental reason seeks control and manipulation - the 'system' threatening the 'lifeworld'

What is Judith Butler's application of critical theory?

gender is performative, meaning is created and reinforced through repetitive social acts and norms

what is 'orientalist' in Edward Said's applied critical theory?

the Western construction of an exorcised and stereotyped image of the East (Orient) that justifies cultural domination

What is the ontological assumption of symbolic interactionism?

social constructivism, where reality is created through social interaction

What is the epistemology regarding symbolic interactionism?

interpretation of symbols and actions

what is the axiological view of symbolic interactionism?

Value-neutrality is not possible - but values are not the foundation of research (like critical theory)

symbolic interactionism holds what theory of truth?

coherence theory (symbolic)

what is the purpose of study in symbolic interactionism?

to understand social meaning-making

what does symbolic interactionism thinks of unity of science?

challenges it (sym)

How can we describe Erving Goffman's dramaturgical theory?

the presentation of self in everyday life, everyday interactions = dramaturgical performance, different settings are described as different stages in/on which we perform our social roles

In Erving Goffman's dramaturgical theory what is the 'front stage'?

the public setting where individuals perform their social roles according to established norms and expectations