Social Theory as Science (Routledge Revivals)

Social Theory as Science (Routledge Revivals) PDF Author: Russell Keat
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1136839232
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 531

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Book Description
This book, written by a philosopher interested in the problems of social science and scientific method, and a sociologist interested in the philosophy of science, presents a novel conception of how we should think about and carry out the scientific study of social life. This book combines an evaluation of different conceptions of the nature of science with an examination of important sociological theorists and frameworks. This second edition of the work was originally published in 1982.

Social Theory as Science (Routledge Revivals)

Social Theory as Science (Routledge Revivals) PDF Author: Russell Keat
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1136839232
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 531

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Book Description
This book, written by a philosopher interested in the problems of social science and scientific method, and a sociologist interested in the philosophy of science, presents a novel conception of how we should think about and carry out the scientific study of social life. This book combines an evaluation of different conceptions of the nature of science with an examination of important sociological theorists and frameworks. This second edition of the work was originally published in 1982.

The Unity of Science

The Unity of Science PDF Author: Rudolf Carnap
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1136654291
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 107

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Book Description
As a leading member of the Vienna Circle, Rudolph Carnap's aim was to bring about a "unified science" by applying a method of logical analysis to the empirical data of all the sciences. This work, first published in English in 1934, endeavors to work out a way in which the observation statements required for verification are not private to the observer. The work shows the strong influence of Wittgenstein, Russell, and Frege.

Hermeneutics and Social Science (Routledge Revivals)

Hermeneutics and Social Science (Routledge Revivals) PDF Author: Zygmunt Bauman
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1136955534
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 440

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Book Description
Originally published in 1978, this important work, by one of the leading European social theorists, is arguably the best introduction to the hermeneutic tradition as a whole. It is designed to help students of sociology and philosophy place the problems of "understanding social science" in their historical and philosophical context. It does so by presenting the major current in sociological thought as responses to the challenge of hermeneutics. The idea that true knowledge of social life can be attained only if human conduct is seen as meaningful action whose meaning is accordingly grasped has been presented as a discovery of recent sociology. In fact its history is long and its connections plentiful, reaching beyond the boundaries of sociology itself. Yet it is in sociology that the hermeneutic tradition has attracted most interest but most misinterpretation. The debate is in full swing and there is no attempt to offer "correct" solutions - the emphasis instead is upon revealing the strengths and weaknesses of each of the main approaches. However it is Bauman's view that the theory of understanding may achieve valid results only if it treats the problem of understanding as an aspect of the ongoing process of social life.

Semantics and Social Science (Routledge Revivlas)

Semantics and Social Science (Routledge Revivlas) PDF Author: Graham MacDonald
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1136838619
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 168

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Book Description
Originally published in 1980, this book examines the major issues in the philosophy of social science, paying specific attention to cross-cultural understanding, humanism versus scientism, individualism versus collectivism, and the shaping of theory by evaluative commitment. Arguing for a cross-cultural conception of human beings, the authors defend humanism and individualism, and reject the notion that social inquiry is necessarily vitiated by an adherence to values.

Meaning and the Moral Sciences

Meaning and the Moral Sciences PDF Author: Cogan University Professor Emeritus Hilary Putnam
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 0415580919
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 162

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Book Description
First published in 1978, this reissue presents a seminal philosophical work by professor Putnam, in which he puts forward a conception of knowledge which makes ethics, practical knowledge and non-mathematic parts of the social sciences just as much parts of 'knowledge' as the sciences themselves. He also rejects the idea that knowledge can be demarcated from non-knowledge by the fact that the former alone adheres to 'the scientific method'. The first part of the book consists of Professor Putnam's John Locke lectures, delivered at the University of Oxford in 1976, offering a detailed examination of a 'physicalist' theory of reference against a background of the works of Tarski, Carnap, Popper, Hempel and Kant. The analysis then extends to notions of truth, the character of linguistic enquiry and social scientific enquiry in general, interconnecting with the great metaphysical problem of realism, the nature of language and reference, and the character of ourselves.

An Introduction to Political Philosophy (Routledge Revivals)

An Introduction to Political Philosophy (Routledge Revivals) PDF Author: A. R. M. Murray
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1136971149
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 395

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Book Description
First published in 1953, this seminal introduction to political philosophy is intended for both the student of political theory and for the general reader. After an introduction which explains the nature and purpose of philosophy, Dr Murray provides a critical examination of the principle theories advanced by political philosophers from Plato to Marx, paying special attention to contemporary issues. The book also makes an attempt to define the essential issues of philosophical significance in contemporary politics, with special reference to the conflict between political authority and individual rights, and to show how the different moral assumptions underlying authoritarian and democratic systems of government are ultimately based upon different theories of logic.

From Mathematics to Philosophy (Routledge Revivals)

From Mathematics to Philosophy (Routledge Revivals) PDF Author: Hao Wang
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1134884338
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 445

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Book Description
First published in 1974. Despite the tendency of contemporary analytic philosophy to put logic and mathematics at a central position, the author argues it failed to appreciate or account for their rich content. Through discussions of such mathematical concepts as number, the continuum, set, proof and mechanical procedure, the author provides an introduction to the philosophy of mathematics and an internal criticism of the then current academic philosophy. The material presented is also an illustration of a new, more general method of approach called substantial factualism which the author asserts allows for the development of a more comprehensive philosophical position by not trivialising or distorting substantial facts of human knowledge.

Concept Formation in Social Science (Routledge Revivals)

Concept Formation in Social Science (Routledge Revivals) PDF Author: William Outhwaite
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
ISBN: 9780415611169
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 255

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Book Description
First published in 1983, this book examines the problems of concept formation in the social sciences, and in particular sociology, from the standpoint of a realistic philosophy of science. Beginning with a discussion of positivistic, hermeneutic, rationalist and realistic philosophies of science, Dr Outhwaite argues that realism is best able to furnish rational criteria for the choice and specification of social scientific concepts. A realistic philosophy of science therefore acts as his reference point for the dialectical presentation of alternative accounts.

Scientism

Scientism PDF Author: Mikael Stenmark
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1351815393
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 165

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Book Description
This title was first published in 20/11/2001: The intellectual and practical successes of science have led some scientists to think that there are no real limits to the competence of scienece, and no limits to what can be achieved in the name of science. This view (and similar views) have been called Scientism. In this book, scientists' views about science and its relationship to knowledge, ethics and religion are subjected to critical scrutiny. A number of natural scientists have advocated Scientism in one form or another - Francis Crick, Richard Dawkins, Carl Sagan, and Edward O. Wilson - and their impact inside and outside the sciences is considered. Clarifying what Scientism is, this book proceeds to evaluate its key claims, expounded in questions such as: is it the case that science can tell us everything there is to know about reality? Can science tell us how we morally ought to live and what the meaning of life is? Can science in fact be our new religion? Ought we become "science believers"? The author addresses these and similar issues, concluding that Scientism is not really science but disguised materialism or naturalism; its advocates fail to see this, not being sufficiently aware that their arguments presuppose the previous acceptance of certain extra-scientific or philosophical beliefs

The Anatomy of Inquiry (Routledge Revivals)

The Anatomy of Inquiry (Routledge Revivals) PDF Author: Israel Scheffler
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1317810864
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 352

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Book Description
First published in 1963, this title considers the philosophical problems encountered when attempting to provide a clear and general explanation of scientific principles, and the basic confrontation between such principles and experience. Beginning with a detailed introduction that considers various approaches to the philosophy and theory of science, Israel Scheffler then divides his study into three key sections – Explanation, Significance and Confirmation – that explore how these complex issues involved have been dealt with in contemporary research. This title, by one of America’s leading philosophers, will provide a valuable analysis of the theory and problems surrounding the Philosophy of Science.