Phil. of Social Science Flashcards
Naturalism and anti-naturalism view (on social sciences vs. natural sciences)
NAT. VIEW: Social sciences use different methods than natural science – but they share the same methodology:
- Reliability of methods.
- Validity of results.
ANTI-NAT. VIEW: The social sciences cannot and should not follow the methodology of the natural sciences.
ARGUMENTS FOR ANTI-NAT. VIEW:
- Belief-desire explanations can’t be tested scientifically
- Several belief-desire explanations might be used to explain one and the same action without there being any way of knowing which, if any, is the correct one
ARGUMENTS AGAINST ANTI-NAT. VIEW:
- Not all social science theories explain phenomena by referencing individual behavior
- Social scientists can minimize interpretation in their studies
- The problem of under-determination is not unique for the social sciences
interpretation in social sciences
- Assume that inputs are mentally processed, leading to behavior meaningful in subjective understandings/beliefs/desires.
- Involves the assignment of such understandings/beliefs/desires to make observed behavior meaningful.
- NOT just correlating inputs and (behavioral) outputs.
qualitative study
- It is used to gain an understanding of underlying reasons, opinions, and motivations. It provides insights into the problem or helps to develop ideas/hypotheses for potential quantitative research.
- primarily for exploratory research.
(measurement expressed not in terms of numbers, but rather by means of a natural language description. In statistics, it is often used interchangeably with “categorical” data.)
quantitative study
- Used to quantify the problem by way of generating numerical data or data that can be transformed into usable statistics.
- To quantify attitudes, opinions, behaviors, and other defined variables
The belief-desire explanation
A belief-desire explanation is an EXPLANATION of an individual’s action AIN TERMS OF a set of BELIEFS AND DESIRES of the individual.
- Individual I desired state X more than state Y.
- Individual I believed that action A brought about X but not Y, and B Y but not X.
- Therefore, individual I chose action A over B.
In which sense is rational choice theory an interpretative theory?
(Rational choice theory: the assumption that individuals choose a course of action that is most in line with their personal preferences.)
Rational choice theory is, in this sense, an interpretive theory that constructs explanations by ‘reconstructing’ patterns of meanings and understandings (preferences and beliefs) in such a way that agents’ actions can be seen as maximal given their beliefs.
How can interpretation be improved?
RITE method:
- Minimize interpretation.
- Observe evidence for processes.
- Competent observer.
Further strategies:
- Generate more evidence for uncovering processes.
- Check for coherence.
- Use intersubjective checks.
> > > > should lead to more confidence in the validity of the interpretation.
methodological individualism
The idea that social phenomena are best UNDERSTOOD and explained in terms of individuals, their actions, behaviors, beliefs and desires.
A good social theory is reducible to individualist accounts.
multiple realization of social entities
the same mental property, state, or event can be implemented by different physical properties, states, or events
e.g. through religion, through law, through teaching we learn to not kill each other (I made this up, not a great example..)
steps in good operationalization
i. The concept to be observed is DEFINED
ii. The property of interest is CONNECTED with an observable property
iii. The connection between property of interest and observable property is valid according to our best knowledge
iv. The connection between property of interest and observable property is sufficiently stable for practical purposes
v. The observable property is observable with sufficient precision in practice
