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Author: William Outhwaite Publisher: Routledge ISBN: 1136830766 Category : Social Science Languages : en Pages : 256
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.
Author: William Outhwaite Publisher: Routledge ISBN: 1136830766 Category : Social Science Languages : en Pages : 256
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.
Author: Anthony D. Smith Publisher: Routledge ISBN: 1136971076 Category : Social Science Languages : en Pages : 198
Book Description
Anthony Smith's important work on the concept of social change, first published in 1973, puts forward the paradigm of historical change as an alternative to the functionalist theory of evolutionary change. He shows that, in attempting to provide a theory of social change, functionalism reveals itself as a species of 'frozen' evolutionism. Functionalism, he argues, is unable to cope with the mechanisms of historical transitions or account for novelty and emergence; it confuses classification of variations with explanation of processes; and its endogenous view of change prevents it from coming to grips with the real events and transformations of the historical record. In his assessment of functionalism, Dr Smith traces its explanatory failures in its accounts of the developments of civilisation, modernisation and revolution. He concludes that the study of 'evolution' is largely irrelevant to the investigation of social change. He proposes instead an exogenous paradigm of social change, which places the study of contingent historical events at its centre.
Author: Christopher G. A. Bryant Publisher: Routledge ISBN: 113503673X Category : Social Science Languages : en Pages : 377
Book Description
This book, first published in 1976, discusses four classical paradigms for sociology – the positivism of Saint-Simon and Comte, Durkheim, Marx and Weber – and four contemporary developments or revisions of them – the sociologie active of Dumazedier and his colleagues in France, sociology in Socialist Poland, the work of Dahrendorf and the ‘new sociology’ of Mills and his successors. Christopher Bryant suggests that no neutral language exists in which to compare the characteristics of these different paradigms, yet highlights those features which are common to all of them. Unique in its approach and analysis of the relationship between sociology and action, this book is of value and interest to students of sociology and theory and professional sociologists.
Author: Russell Keat Publisher: Routledge ISBN: 1136839232 Category : Social Science Languages : en Pages : 302
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.
Author: Robert Holton Publisher: Routledge ISBN: 1136830707 Category : Business & Economics Languages : en Pages : 153
Book Description
First published in 1989, this re-issue concerns itself with the relevance of Max Weber's sociology for the understanding of modern times. The book outlines key tenets of Weber's sociology and points to the valuable legacy of Weber's thought in contemporary intellectual debate, particularly with regard to secularization and rationalization of global cultures, the crisis of Marxism, the rise of the New Right and the emergence of post-modernism. This book offers an authoritative and insightful study which brings to light, not only the contemporary relevance of Weber's social theory, but also offering a broad perspective for the analysis of social questions.
Author: William Outhwaite Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing ISBN: 1349189464 Category : Social Science Languages : en Pages : 145
Book Description
The demise of empiricist philosophies of science has contributed to the current disarray of philosophy in the social sciences. This book argues that a realist analysis of the structures and processes which make up the social world can provide a way out of its present impasse. These processes, ranging from the interpersonal negotiation of meaning to the constraining influence of administrative or market structures, cannot be understood as mere constructs either in the minds of the theorist or of the social factors themselves, since they actually generate the social world as we know it. The author develops some implications of this approach and presents a realist view of some of the principal theoretical traditions and controversies within sociology and other social sciences.
Author: S. I. Benn Publisher: ISBN: 9781138784093 Category : Social Science Languages : en Pages : 426
Book Description
The concepts of rationality that are used by social scientists in the formation of hypotheses, models and explanations are explored in this collection of original papers by a number of distinguished philosophers and social scientists. The aim of the book is to display the variety of the concepts used, to show the different roles they play in theories of very different kinds over a wide range of disciplines, including economics, sociology, psychology, political science and anthropology, and to assess the explanatory and predictive power that a theory can draw from such concepts.
Author: Christian Pfeiffer Publisher: Taylor & Francis ISBN: 100099256X Category : Political Science Languages : en Pages : 216
Book Description
This book provides a comprehensive and systematic analysis of the concept of geoeconomics in International Relations (IR). It offers an accessible overview of the most important approaches, including their history, means and ends, methodology, ideological underpinnings, normative aspects, and practical relevance. Exploring the forgotten history of geoeconomics, and revealing its different meanings and usages over time, the author clearly differentiates geoeconomics from geopolitics on a conceptual level. This thorough examination of contemporary conceptions identifies shortcomings in the current understanding of geoeconomics and proposes a reconceptualization of the concept within a neoliberal framework, increasing its empirical usefulness and analytical value. By contrasting neoliberal geoeconomics with neorealist geoeconomics, the book highlights the normative implications of both approaches, providing policy analysts and makers with valuable insights into the topic. This volume will be an important reference guide for understanding the concept of geoeconomics and a must-read for students and researchers of international relations, international political economy, economics, and political science, as well as professionals, such as policymakers and politicians.
Author: Francis Castles Publisher: Routledge ISBN: 1135195609 Category : Political Science Languages : en Pages : 122
Book Description
First published in 1971, this is a clear, straightforward introductory discussion of the importance of sociological knowledge, and particularly sociological theory, for the understanding of political life. The topics covered include sociology and the discipline of politics, the elementary forms of political life, and the relationship between theory, evidence and insight. Francis Castles also looks at functionalism and the analysis of conflict as sociological meta-theories, and at the idea of anomie and the theory of mass society. The book should be of prime interest to students of politics and to students of the social sciences in general.
Author: William Outhwaite
Author: William Outhwaite
Author: Anthony D. Smith
Author: Christopher G. A. Bryant
Author: Russell Keat
Author: Robert Holton
Author: Stuart Corbridge
Author: William Outhwaite
Author: S. I. Benn
Author: Christian Pfeiffer
Author: Francis Castles