week 1: introduction Flashcards
What is science according to Jackson
Jackson
Science as Intent, Intent shapes scientific inquiry: activity guided by the intention to systematically produce factual knowledge
- what science is not:
-Political argument (Result-oriented): not about factual points, but about convincing people of your being right
-Normative evaluation (Values-based): Assesses claims based on values (e.g., “good” or “bad” within a specific value system). - science as distinct, what it really is:
-Produces factual, evidence-based knowledge about political and social arrangements.
-Encourages open-ended questions such as: Should scientific claims override political claims? Should normative judgments be grounded in scientific evidence?
science as an intent according to who?
Jackson
how to find Academic Papers?
Main Sources:
-Smartcat: Accessible with a university login.
-Google Scholar: Often provides direct links.
-Google Search: Add “type:pdf” to your query.
Avoid Predatory Journals:
-Unknown publishers (e.g., MDPI, Frontiers).
-“Open access” with large issues (100+ articles).
-Pay-to-publish model.
-Weak or absent peer review.
characteristics for Top IR Journals
Top IR Journals
-High reputation.
-Selective publication process.
-“General interest” vs. specialist focus.
Academic Books
Characteristics of Academic Monographs/Volumes:
-Specialist audience.
-Double-blind peer review.
-Focus on originality and evidence.
Beware of Vanity Presses: Predatory publishers (e.g., Cambridge Scholars Publishing).
Finding Books:
-Library Resources (Smartcat is ideal for locating books).
-Preferred formats:
–PDF (best for citation).
–Avoid ePUB and DRM when possible.
–Inter-Library Loan requests for unavailable books.
what and who did a taxonomy? and what are the uses in IR
Bloom
A framework for categorizing educational goals, especially in cognitive learning.
- Remember: Recall and recognize facts.
- Understand: Explain and summarize ideas.
- Apply: Use information in concrete situations.
- Analyze: Draw connections between concepts.
- Evaluate: Justify decisions and ideas.
- Create: Generate new ideas, designs, or products.
uses in IR:
-Developing critical thinking.
-Structuring research questions and arguments.
-Categorizing learning outcomes in academic writing and debates.
what is the Dunning-Kruger effect
A cognitive bias where individuals with low ability in a particular domain overestimate their competence.
1. Overestimation of Ability: Inexperienced individuals lack the knowledge to recognize their limitations.
2. Double Curse: The same lack of skill that leads to poor performance also prevents accurate self-assessment.
3. Improvement with Experience: As individuals gain more expertise, their self-assessment becomes more accurate.
4. Confidence Curve: Beginners tend to be overconfident; experts tend to be more cautious due to a better understanding of complexities.
weber’s point of veiw on the definition of science and the distinction btwn politics and science
-Practical-political positions:
politics:clarity about one’s position is both a moral and professional obligation.
science:scientific inquiry demands objectivity and detachment
-Words as tools:
politics:language serves as a weapon to persuade, critique, or oppose others’ positions.
sciences: words are used to cultivate deeper understanding and reflection
-Ethical and functional divergence:
politics:taking a side is inevitable and necessary for action.
science:taking sides compromises the pursuit of impartial knowledge.
what is Jackson’s book about (role of science in IR)?
-the role of science in the field of IR:
1. science have historically been used in IR to shape debates: Early IR scholars invoked the term “science” to justify their methods, but their definitions were vague and often contradictory.
2. and to legitimize certain approaches over others: The “second great debate” in IR linked science to quantification, formal models, and generalization, favoring certain methodologies over others
-the complexities of defining what qualifies as “science.” (demarcation problem)
-critiques the application of natural science methodologies to social sciences
implications for IR:
-The use of “science” as a rhetorical tool often serves to discipline and marginalize alternative approaches in the field.
-advocates for a more nuanced understanding of science in IR, acknowledging its plurality rather than adhering to a single, unified model.
what is ASIR?
aims to achieve a deeper understanding of the philosophical underpinnings that shape the field of IR
what is Morgenthau’s point of view on science in politics?
● Politics is more art than science, critiquing an over-reliance on scientific methods.
● Argued that science was often misapplied in political analysis
according to Popper, what should be science?
Science, including social science, should focus on robust procedures to identify and discard false judgments.
what are the Philosophical Differences in IR on what is science?
● For liberals: Science represents reasoned prophecy.
● For conservatives: Science confirms revelations of the past through experience.
● Morgenthau supported scientific studies in IR but emphasized that its role was not central
what is the great debate in IR
“science vs. tradition” :
-Hedley Bull (Traditional Approach): Focuses on judgment and intimate knowledge of
history and philosophy.
-Scientific Advocates (Empirical Approach): Aspires to theories grounded in mathematical,
logical, or empirical verification
-> but The debate shifted from “science vs. tradition” to “quantitative vs. qualitative
methods.”
what is the demarcation problem? cite the main authors that marked this pb
philosophical issue centered on how to define the boundaries between science and non-science.
-Popper: Proposed falsification as the key criterion for science
-Kuhn: Emphasized the role of paradigms
-Lakatos: concept of research programs as an alternative to focusing on individual theories.
what are the 2 philosophical wagers?
philosophical wager= foundational commitments in research
➡ First Wager:
● Mind-world dualism (positivism): Separates researcher from the world.
● Mind-world monism (interpretivism): The researcher is embedded in the world.
➡ Second Wager:
● Hypothesis-testing: Knowledge is grounded in observable phenomena.
● Critical realism: Knowledge may involve unobservable objects.
what did the European Enlightenment brought to science?
philosophical debates on the nature of knowledge and certainty
what is the cartesien problem and what are the responses
Cartesian Problem refers to René Descartes’ quest for absolute certainty
- Empiricism: knowledge originates from sensory experience.
-Thomas Hobbes: all knowledge is derived from sensory impressions (the data our senses collect from the external world).
-John Locke: (Built on Hobbes), the mind begins as a tabula rasa (blank slate). Complex ideas are formed by combining and refining simple sensory impressions, which constitute the foundation of all human knowledge.
2.Phenomenalism:
-Kant critiqued empiricism: it oversimplifies how humans acquire knowledge. Instead: Human perception is structured by innate faculties, such as sensibility so knowledge is limited to phenomena (how things appear to us) and does not access noumena (things as they exist independently of perception).
-> This limits our capacity for “absolute certainty,” challenging Cartesian ideals.
IR and the scientific method+ critics of science in IR
IR and the Scientific Method: IR scholars aim to balance empirical facts (observable phenomena in world politics) with generalizations (theories that explain or predict behavior, such as realism or liberalism) -> sc method but adapted
Critiques of Science in IR:
Morgenthau and Carr (realists) criticise the aplication of rigid scientific methods to IR:
-complexity of international politics resists
-simple generalizations or “scientific laws.”
What is the so-called ‘unity of science’ approach?
The idea that social science is just like natural science and can be studied like
it:
-naturalism: there is no fundamental diference between social and natural
worlds we can gain value-free, objectve knowledge of the social world.
-Positvism: All about discovering empirical regularites (empiricism). Only
observable behaviour can be studied
what are “naive falsification” and “sophisticated falsification”
naive falsification= how Lakatos calls Popper’s falsification: a scientific theory is considered valid only if it can be falsified BUT critics of Lakatos: observations are theory-laden + oversimplification + premature rejection
instead he proposes sophisticated falsification: progressive development of research programs. A theory or research program is not discarded simply because of anomalies; instead, it is evaluated based on its ability to produce novel predictions and solve problems better than its rivals -> falsification happends with the protective belt and the hard core is protected
