Week 2: research basic Flashcards
What is the common sense or heuristics for
tools, techniques, or frameworks that simplify complex issues ( For example, Easton’s systems theory serves as a heuristic to analyze political systems)
key features: -Simplification:by focusing on key elements
-Exploration:help to explore new areas of study or uncover relationships that might not be immediately apparent.
-Trial-and-Error: involve experimentation rather than a predefined path
Human brains liké shortcuts ( belong to common sens, heuristics : what does it implies
. Simplifying catégories, ex stereotypes
. Rules of thumb (an approximate method for doing smtg, based on practice rather than theory)
. ‘common sens’ so obviously true, ideas are so widely accepted that they are rarely questionned
.shortcuts solve PB but also create misunderstandings, cognitive bias bcs it is context dépendent and evolve
What are the main points of common sense, heuristics
.shortcuts
.WE construct dichitomies ( White vs black, right vs wrong…)
. Scientist researchers resist these heuristic urge
How Can scientifists resist heuristics
. Précision and transparency
. Think critically abt other plausible explenations+ verify the strength of their findings
WATCH OUT FOR THE STRAW MAN: rep deliberatly unreal of a scholars theory, to thé point that WE Can sée thé pitfall, thé weakness and so easier to attack
Essentialism
Belief that certain traits are intrinsic to certain catégories ( women are x and man y, germans are liké that…)
Reification
Criticizing the idea that essential traits are naturel
–> they are socially constructed : man are not X bcs they are naturally x but they are x bcs société sees them as x, they build themeselves as x
Ontology
Thé question: what is reality, what do WE know abt reality? What is thé nature of thé social World?
Epistemology
How Can WE know things abt thé reality? Expérience, use of our senses, reason?
Methodology
What process do I use to build this knowledge abt reality
Diff btwn foundationalism and anti-foundationalism
Adress the nature of reality and how WE Come to know it
. Foundationalism : thé belief that there is an objective reality that exist independently of our perspectives and interprétations
Reality observés through scientific approach
WE Can build our knowledge on firm, unchanging truths or foundations
. anti-foundationalism: reality id not fixed or Indep of human perception but is socially constructed
Interpretivism (core concepts and nature of social scientist)
A.core concepts:
. Subjective reality, social World=/ natural World bcs constructed through human perceptions and interactions , no objective reality
.meaning and understanding: understanding how hum give meaning to things évents: hum actions are meaningful, goal-oriented ans embedded within spé cultural and social context
.no Universal Law, no law-like généralisation ( dépend of thé context)
B. Nature of social scientist
. Embeddedness: part of thé World they study and their interprétations are shaped by their own expériences and context
. Constructing interprétations on how others interprétations thé world : more subjectivity again
. Hermeneutics: thé art of interprétation ( Derria: “il n’y a pas de hors-texte “: everything is subject to int and there is no meaning Indep from thé concept
.double hermeneutics(Giddens): findings influence and become part of thé social World they describe
.verstehen: deep, empathetic understanding of HB, so researchers view thé World from thé perspective of thé people whitin it
Researches in IR: (methaphor + ‘social realists’)
.scholars ar ‘sc realists’: accepting the idea of a reality out there BUT understanding how it is shaped and filtered by structures and perception that are not observable
So belnd both pos and int
.Richard Ned Lebow’s metaphore of being a rancher or a farmer
..farmers( historians): seeking deep, context, spé events, cultural influence, nuanced interprétations
..ranchers ( IR scholars): broad expanses, larger patterns and theories that help make sens of general trends
Researches as a murder mystery
.how did the victime dies? Causal chain of évent, explaning how she ceased to live ( positivist domain, inferentialists)
.why did sm wish to kill her? Involves actors, agency, meaning ( interpretivism)
2 Methods for answering research qu
Déductive approach and inductive approach
Halperin and Oliver, def of scientific realism
different approaches to understanding knowledge in social science + implications for political research: positivism, interpretivism, and scientific realism as competing frameworks for explaining and interpreting social phenomena.
-Scientific Realism: This approach bridges the gap between positivism and interpretivism by acknowledging the existence of both observable and unobservable social mechanisms: explaining social phenomena by discovering underlying structures and causal mechanisms, even if they are not directly observable.
-talks abt classical positivism
-interpretivism: importance of understanding the meanings and reasons behind human actions, as opposed to identifying laws or generalizations + social reality is shaped by subjective interpretations
who stated that the process of understanding the social world remains contentious
Halperin and Oliver
what are the different types of positivism?
classic positivism; logical positivism;
explain classical positivism
Built on four tenets:
➡ Naturalism: there is no fundamental distinction between natural and social sciences; both share the same structures and principles.
➡ Empiricism: knowledge = sensory experiences, denying the existence
of a priori knowledge.
➡ Laws: Equates the social sciences to natural sciences, implying they are governed by similar structures and regularities.
➡ Facts and Values: Differentiates factual (observable) statements from normative (value-based) statements, enabling objective, unbiased knowledge acquisition.
BUT limits (Olivier and Halperin): challenges in capturing the complexities of human behavior and social systems.
expalin logical positivism
Evolves beyond classical positivism by combining empiricism (observation) with
logical reasoning, including mathematics.
○ Emphasizes two processes:
➡ Inductive Reasoning: From observations to generalizations.
➡ Deductive Reasoning: Starts with general theories to test specific cases.
○ Key principles:
➡ Verifiability: Establishing truth through empirical evidence.
➡ Falsifiability: Refuting propositions to test hypotheses.
what are the challenges to positivism?
- Scientific Realism
○ Both natural and social worlds consist of observable and unobservable elements.
○ Causal mechanisms, not just observable phenomena, explain outcomes. - Interpretivism
- Critical Realism
○ Denies the existence of a reality independent of human perception.
○ Knowledge requires critical reflection on how we become aware of and interpret the
external world.
in the text of Halperin and Olivier, explain the Yugoslavia case study
- Positivist Approach
● Uses rational choice theory to explain the conflict.
● Analyzes strategic interactions between ethnic groups, focusing on behavior and
calculations. - Interpretivist Approach
● Emphasizes constructivist views, exploring historical events, identities, and public
discourse.
● Views reality as socially constructed and dynamic. - Critical Realist Approach
● Analyzes structural conditions and elite influence on the conflict.
● Examines the interplay between social structures and individual agency.
