The Realist Frame

Author(s):  
John Brekke ◽  
Jeane Anastas ◽  
Jerry Floersch ◽  
Jeffrey Longhofer

Any definition of social work science must make its philosophy of science manifest. While not the only ones in social work to espouse realism, especially critical realism, the IslandWood Group used key ideas from this school of thought to guide many discussions. The main tenets of scientific realism are described followed by a description of some key features of critical realism. Basic tenets of the realisms include the existence of a mind-independent reality, the existence of the unseen, upward and downward causation, stratified reality, emergence, the embrace of multiple methodologies, and the importance of theory in science. This epistemological and ontological stance differs from positivist and behaviorist approaches. The chapter concludes with a summary of other frameworks—pragmatism, constructionism, and critical theories—that are also relevant to a science of social work.

Author(s):  
Dominik Giese ◽  
Jonathan Joseph

This chapter evaluates critical realism, a term which refers to a philosophy of science connected to the broader approach of scientific realism. In contrast to other philosophies of science, such as positivism and post-positivism, critical realism presents an alternative view on the questions of what is ‘real’ and how one can generate scientific knowledge of the ‘real’. How one answers these questions has implications for how one studies science and society. The critical realist answer starts by prioritizing the ontological question over the epistemological one, by asking: What must the world be like for science to be possible? Critical realism holds the key ontological belief of scientific realism that there is a reality which exists independent of our knowledge and experience of it. Critical realists posit that reality is more complex, and made up of more than the directly observable. More specifically, critical realism understands reality as ‘stratified’ and composed of three ontological domains: the empirical, the actual, and the real. Here lies the basis for causation.


Author(s):  
Jeane Anastas

An aspect of proposing a definition of a science of social work is defining the domains that it should or could address. Critical realism calls for examining and critiquing the social arrangements that frame our science and our knowledge. Like social work itself, it aspires to be an emancipatory project. The concept of embodiment from philosophy of mind is introduced; it suggests that a mind, whether the same or different from a brain, is embedded in the organism, the social world, the cultural world that includes the historical, and the ecological world. This framework has implications for understanding how we know and what we need to know. Embodiment is a concept that can be used in defining the scope and concerns of social work science.


2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jaakko Kuorikoski ◽  
Petri Ylikoski

In this paper we argue that, despite its influence, critical realism is not the most promising version of scientific realism for economics. The main problem with critical realism is its hermetic insulation from the mainstream of the philosophy of science. We argue that this intellectual isolation is unfortunate, as it has meant that critical realism has missed many opportunities to develop its central concepts, such as causal mechanism, emergence, and explanation. At the same time, we argue, critical realists have missed some crucial aspects of the intellectual strategy of modern economics. Our point is not to defend mainstream economics, rather it is to show that a better understanding of modeling as a scientific research strategy opens up the possibility of a more penetrating analysis of its possible shortcomings.


Author(s):  
Rodrigo Azocar González

RESUMENEl presente artículo es fruto de una investigación de largo alcance que busca generar discusión en torno a los desafíos contemporáneos del Trabajo Social en la construcción de alternativas de intervención social en contextos de diversidad sexual en Chile. La crisis de la norma heterosexual refleja una contemporaneidad marcada por la visibilidad de los grupos históricamente excluidos, reflejo de la sensibilización y cuestionamiento de una masculinidad dominante intrínsecamente exclusora e inalcanzable, como también de procesos de posicionamiento político y cultural de un colectivo presente, pero hasta hace poco invisibilizado, en nuestro país. A través de técnicas etnográficas y la incorporación del concepto de mercado como vehículo de visibilidad, el trabajo propone ideas coherentes con la construcción de una praxis transdisciplinar que responde a la nueva definición de Trabajo Social, en discusión a nivel mundial, como de los procesos de cuestionamiento y mudanza ciudadanos revitalizados en la última década.Palabras clave: Intervención social, diversidad sexual, trabajo social, desafíos. Diversidade sexual e intervenção social: reflexões a partir do Trabalho SocialRESUMOO presente artigo é o resultado de uma pesquisa de longo alcance que procura gerar discussão em relação aos desafios contemporâneos do Trabalho Social na construção de alternativas de intervenção social em contextos de diversidade sexual no Chile. A crise da norma heterossexual reflete uma contemporaneidade marcada pela visibilidade dos grupos historicamente excluídos, reflexo da conscientização e questionamento de uma masculinidade dominante intrinsecamente que exclui e que se apresenta como inatingível, bem como processos de posicionamento político e cultural de um coletivo presente, mas até recentemente invisível em nosso país. Através de técnicas etnográficas e incorporação do conceito de mercado como veículo de visibilidade, o trabalho propõe ideias coerentes com a construçãode uma prática transdisciplinar que respondam à nova definição de TrabalhoSocial, discutido mundialmente, como dos processos de questionamento emudança cidadã revitalizados na última década.Palavras-chave: intervenção social, diversidade sexual, trabalho social,desafios. Sexual diversity and social intervention: Reflections fromsocial workABSTRACTThe current article is the result of a wider research that seeks to generatediscussion about the actual challenges of social work in the constructionof alternatives of social intervention on sexual diversity contexts in Chile.The crisis of the heterosexual regulation reflects a contemporaneity markedby the visibility of the historically excluded groups, as a reflection of thesensitivity and questioning of a dominant manhood inherently excluder andunreachable, as political and positioning processes of a current group, butuntil recently hidden in our country. Through ethnographic technics and theincorporation of the concept of market as a vehicle of visibility, this worksproposes ideas coherent with the construction of a cross-curricular praxisthat responds to the new definition of social work, globally discussed, as wellas the questioning processes and citizen movements during last decade.Keywords: Social intervention, sexual diversity, social work, challenges


In contrast to other helping professions, social work does not currently define itself as scientific, or as a scientific discipline. Starting with the work of John Brekke, this volume considers what a science of social work might look like. These ideas have developed from an extended collaboration among the chapter authors and others. Aspects of the framework described here include approaches to ontology and epistemology (scientific and critical realism); science and the the identity of social work; the context of Grand Challenges for social work; the place of values in a science of social work; the importance of theory in social work science; and how ideas from the philosophy of mind can also inform what a social work science should be. The volume then describes the application of social work science to social work practice, managing the tensions between rigor and relevance, and ways to educate future scholars. The concluding chapter suggests some ways in which this framework might affect social work practice and education in the future.


2019 ◽  
Vol 46 (10) ◽  
pp. 1234-1246
Author(s):  
Lambert K. Engelbrecht ◽  
Abigail Ornellas

Purpose Within a neoliberal environment, financial vulnerability of households has become an increasing challenge and there is a requirement of financial literacy education, a necessary activity to facilitate sustainable development and well-being. However, this is seldom a mainstream discourse in social work deliberations. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach First, introducing the neoliberal impact on financial well-being and capability for vulnerable households, the authors’ postulation is substantiated on a seven-point argument. The contexts of financially vulnerable households are sketched. Second, a conceptualisation of financial literacy is offered, and third, perspectives on and approaches to financial literacy as a fundamental capability are presented. This is followed by a theoretical foundation of community education as a practice model in social work to develop financial capabilities. In the fifth place, prevailing practices of Financial Capabilities Development (FCD) programmes are offered. Subsequently, the implications of a neoliberal environment for social work practice are examined. Findings The revised global definition of social work encourages the profession to understand and address the structural causes of social problems through collective interventions. As a response, it is argued that community education towards FCD of vulnerable households within a neoliberal environment should be an essential discourse in social development. Originality/value The authors reflect on the significance of FCD, highlighting its contribution towards human security and sustainable development. Although this paper draws on Southern African contexts, the discourse finds resonance in other contexts across the world.


1997 ◽  
Vol 81 (1) ◽  
pp. 67-75
Author(s):  
Sylvia A. Linares ◽  
Freddy A. Paniagua ◽  
Michael O'Boyle

Paniagua, et al. suggested that the definition of a “difficult” case in psychotherapy implies a relational definition involving the characteristics of the patient, the case, and the therapist. This study concerned this hypothesis with 44 graduate students in social work who received the Difficult Case Questionnaire representing examples of variables across each domain, e.g., motivation of the client, nature of the disorder, generic factors, and orientation of the therapist. The results were compared with the 1993 findings reported by Paniagua, et al., for a group of professionals in mental health practice. As in the earlier study, the present sample also agreed that, although all such domains are important in the formulation of that definition, their importance is not equal. Whereas professionals rated patient's, case's, and therapist's characteristics as the most important order of domains in that definition, students in this study agreed on the order of therapist's, patient's, and case's characteristics.


2021 ◽  
Vol 55 ◽  
pp. 174-187
Author(s):  
Paul Goldberg ◽  

The dominant interpretation of Heidegger’s philosophy of science in Being and Time is that he defines science, or natural science, in terms of presence-at-hand (Vorhandenheit). I argue that this interpretation is false. I call this dominant view about Heidegger’s definition of science the vorhanden claim; interpreters who argue in favor of this claim I call vorhanden readers. In the essay, I reconstruct and then refute two major arguments for the vorhanden claim: respectively, I call them equipmental breakdown (Section 1) and theoretical assertion (Section 2). The equipmental breakdown argument, stemming mainly from Hubert Dreyfus, advances a vorhanden reading on the basis of three other interpretive claims: I call them, respectively, the primacy of practice claim, the decontextualization claim, and the breakdown claim. While I remain agnostic on the first claim, the argument fails because of decisive textual counterevidence to the latter two claims. Meanwhile, the theoretical assertion argument, which I reconstruct mainly from Robert Brandom, premises its vorhanden claim on the basis of some remarks in Being and Time indicating that theoretical assertions, as such, refer to present-at-hand things. Since science is taken to be a paradigmatic case of an activity that makes theoretical assertions, the vorhanden claim is supposed to follow. I refute this argument on the grounds that it equivocates on Heidegger’s concept of “theoretical assertion” and cannot account for his insistence that science does not principally consist in the production of such assertions. I conclude that, with the failure of these two arguments, the case for the vorhanden claim is severely weakened.


2021 ◽  
Vol 58 (2) ◽  
pp. 151-169
Author(s):  
Timur V. Khamdamov ◽  
Mikhail Yu. Voloshin ◽  

In the modern Russian philosophy, discussions about the phenomenon of computer simulations in the scientific research practice of conducting experiments are just beginning to pass the stage of initiation in small interdisciplinary groups studying this new direction for the philosophy of science. At the same time, in Western philosophy by the current moment there have been formed entire directions for the study of computer simulations. Different groups of researchers in different ways form ideas about the basic characteristics of simulations: from skeptical views on their nature, which are of no philosophical interest, to extremely revolutionary attitudes that assign simulations to the main role in the next expected turn of philosophy, comparable in its power to the linguistic turn in early XX century. One of the main controversial issues in Western philosophical thought was the search for relevant criteria and signs of simulations that could create a solid basis for formulating a rigorous definition of this phenomenon. Thus, through the definition, researchers first of all try, on the one hand, to solve the taxonomic problem of the correlation and interconnection of simulations with other types of experiment: natural, laboratory, mental, mathematical. On the other hand, to reveal for philosophy ontological and epistemological foundations of simulations, which carry the potential of new philosophical knowledge. This article is devoted to a brief review of the existing concepts of representatives of Western schools of thought on the phenomenon of computer simulations in the context of the philosophy of science. The structure of the review is built on three basic conceptual directions: 1) definition of the term "computer simulation"; 2) computer simulations as an experiment; 3) the epistemic value of simulations. Such a review can become the subject of discussion for Russian researchers interested in the impact of computer simulations on science and philosophy.


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