Social science Flashcards
What is holism?
Properties should be viewed as a whole, not as a sum of the parts. But holism does not deny that the whole is made up of individual accounts!
Each individual is tied to other individuals. Individuals are internally related, as each one is imbued by and constituted by the qualities of others
What is individualism?
The individual is an independent entity, with own, self-contained properties.
Social phenomena can be explained by motivations and actions from individual agents. Opposite of holism. Methodological individualism does not deny that there are any social entities in the world.
What is the anti-naturalist view of social science?
The social sciences cannot and should not follow the methodology of the natural sciences.
Fundamental differences in methods:
● Qualitative v. quantitative
● Cases vs. representative samples
● Interpretation v. causal regularities
Conclusion: different methodology for social sciences
Anti-naturalists believe that:
• Social sciences, in contrast to natural science, focus on individual cases and cannot generalize from them
• Social sciences, in contrast to natural science, are in the business of interpreting human behaviour. Interpretation does not provide causal explanations, but some other form of understanding
Anti-naturalism means that social science cannot and should not follow the same methodology as natural sciences.
What is interpretation in social sciences?
It is used as a means to acquire understanding of phenomena that are meaningful - such as an action, a piece of literature or art. Interpretation requires assuming that inputs are mentally processed, leading to output which is meaningful in the light of subjective understandings, beliefs and desires.
