scholarly journals Scholar Entangled: The Unattainable Detachment in Social Inquiry

Problemos ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 100 ◽  
pp. 87-99
Author(s):  
Juozas Kasputis

The practice of social studies continues to be a complicated scientific endeavor. From an epistemological point of view, the social sciences, unlike the natural sciences, do not conform to the predominant definition of science. The existing differences among expositions of “science,” “inquiry,” and “studies” lie with the contested role of the intellectual who is embarked on understanding the social realm. The “maturity” of the social sciences is usually discussed in the context of objectivity and rationality. But continuing epistemological debates would be insufficient without reference to the scholar as a human studying humans. The philosophy of science has focused mainly on the procedures of knowledge accumulation, neglecting social context and its implications for inquiry. To address this neglect, this essay sets out first to retrace doubts about the role of the scholar that emerged with the institutionalization of the social sciences at the outset of the twentieth century and then to rethink these issues in terms of recent scientific developments. What surfaces is a new, participatory role for scholars that demands responsible contextualization and a broader conception of causal stories.

2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 243-250
Author(s):  
Muhammad Tasiu Dansabo ◽  
Muhammad Muhammad Bello

The debate on the scientific status of the Social Sciences and their bid to achieve objectivity in their inquiries is an unending debate within and outside the Social Science family. The positivists are of the opinion that objectivity in Social Science is achievable and that scientific methods can be used in Social Science inquiry, just the same or similar way(s) the natural scientists do their scientific endeavor. To the positivists ‘value-free Social Science’ is possible. This position is however criticized even within the Social Sciences, let alone in the scientific world. All these debates centered on whether or not the Social Scientists are truly scientific in their quest for knowledge. No matter the outcome of the debate what is obvious is that there is a philosophical problem with scientific objectivity in general. Based on a historical review of the development of certain scientific theories, in his book, ‘the Structure of scientific revolutions’, a scientist and a historian Thomas Kuhn raised some philosophical objections to claims of the possibility of scientific understanding being truly objective. Against this backdrop, the paper seeks to unravel the varied theoretical debates on the subject.


Dialogue ◽  
1999 ◽  
Vol 38 (2) ◽  
pp. 297-326
Author(s):  
Stéphane Courtois

AbstractThe general aim of this paper is to question the idea that hermeneutic and critical social sciences have to be conceived as specific embodiments of the scientific enterprise. This idea is rather implicit in Habermas's work, but has its grounds in his thesis about the argumentative unity of all sciences, upheld for the first time in 1973. Such a point of view turns out to be untenable for two reasons. First, the indiscriminating inclusion of the hermeneutic and critical social sciences in scientific enterprise raises problems of consistency with regard to the systematic guidelines of The Theory of Communicative Action. Moreover, the thesis of argumentative unity of the sciences itself is incompatible with Habermas's methodological conception of the role of Verstehen in the social sciences developed in section 1.4 of the book. Finally, the author argues that this conception calls for another understanding of the status and role of the hermeneutic and critical disciplines, which is outlined in some detail.


Author(s):  
Yevhen Nakhlik

The article draws a parallel between P. Kulish’s and I. Franko’s disposition to the age-related ideological autorevision. It is argued that, experiencing evolution of the worldview and creative work, revising his own early radical social impulses caused by the ‘national radical stage’ (Franko’s definition) of liberation movement in Halychyna, mature Franko in 1896 – 1907 got closer to the views of P. Kulish, especially those of the late period of his life (1874 – 1897). Like the latter, Franko defended the right to worldview evolution and changing views. These typological coincidences consisted also in the movement from the center-left forces to the right-centered ones; the transition to the primacy of the national idea over the social one; the drastic national self-criticism and simultaneous emphasis on the nation-building and state-building; gradual reorientation from the idea of social revolutionary development of society to evolutionary progress and moderate “means and ways of acting and speaking” (as Franko called it); the warnings against admiring communist illusion, against ochlocracy; and, finally, in the focus on the leading role of the nationally conscious Ukrainian intellectuals in the liberation struggle. Ideological and formal parallels between Franko and Kulish were revealed not only in the letters and journalism, but also in Franko’s practice of grounding his works on the materials of the national, biblical and Christian history and mythology (i. e. literary historicism and mythologism, focused on the present, the future and the author’s personality; symbolic autobiography). From this point of view it is worth to compare:  “Pisnia Budushchyny” (“Song of Future”) – “Try Braty” (“Three Brothers”); “Pokhoron” (“Funeral”), “Ivan Vyshenskyi” – “Velyki Provody” (“Great Farewell Procession”), “Marusia Bohuslavka”, “Dramovana Trylohiia” (“Drama-like Trilogy”); “Moisei” (“Moses”) – “Mahomet i Khadyza” (“Muhammad and Hadiza”), “Duma-Perestoroha, Velmy na Potomni Chasy Potribna” (“Warning Refl ections that will be Needed in Future”); “Strashnyi Sud” (“The Last Judgement”) – “Kulish u Pekli” (“Kulish in Hell”); “Slavianska Oda” (“Slavic Ode”) – “Tsarski Slova” (“Royal Words”).


2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (25) ◽  
pp. 170-178
Author(s):  
Ernesto Israel Santillán-Anguiano ◽  
Emilia Cristina González-Machado

Este trabajo ofrece una serie de reflexiones sobre el texto La juventud no es más que una palabra presentada por Pierre Bourdieu en 1978. El principal objetivo de este documento es hacer evidente la vigencia de las ideas del sociólogo francés respecto a la construcción del concepto de juventud como categoría en las ciencias sociales. Para ello, se realizó un análisis de textos para profundizar las ideas asociadas a las desigualdades, el capital cultural, el habitus y el papel del espacio escolar. Como resultados más relevantes se pueden mencionar que: 1) La definición de la juventud es producto de la lucha intergeneracional y por lo tanto arbitraria; 2) el habitus juvenil garantiza la permanencia de la estructura social; 3) el capital cultural incorporado de los jóvenes se encuentra garantizado por el tiempo liberado; 4) el espacio escolar es un campo de privilegios que naturaliza las condiciones de ser joven. This work offers some reflections on the text Youth’ is Just a Word presented by Pierre Bourdieu in 1978. The objective of this document is to make evident the validity of the ideas of the French sociologist regarding the construction of the concept of youth as a category in the social sciences. For this, a text analysis was carried out to deepen the ideas associated with inequalities, cultural capital, habitus and the role of school space. As the most relevant results, it can be mentioned that: 1) The definition of youth is the product of intergenerational struggle and therefore arbitrary; 2) juvenile habitus guarantees the permanence of the social structure; 3) the incorporated cultural capital of young people is guaranteed by time released; 4) the school space is a field of privileges that naturalizes the conditions of being young.


2018 ◽  
Vol 23 (3) ◽  
pp. 183
Author(s):  
Iqraa Runi Aprilia ◽  
Ruth Indiah Rahayu

<p>Contemporary feminists in Indonesia do not yet have questions about nationalism, since the conversation about nationalism has been considered final at the beginning of Indonesian independence. In fact, in terms of contemporary analysis, women have problems with nationalism, when the definition of nationalism is dominated by the study of political science that is male-view biased. By tracing history to contemporary time, the relationship between women and nationalism is dominated by patriarchal interests for the mobilization of power, even if women have an independent political interest. That is why political interests of women are situated marginally in nationalism. But if we use the perspective of the social sciences, as feminist theories, then the notion of nationalism is broader than that of women and the state. We are still less productive in abstracting the relationship between women and citizens in nationalism, while it is a daily practice of women’s struggles both personally and organically. Women have proven to be an active agency to become citizens beyond the mobilization of the state. This paper seeks to arouse feminist questions about nationalism, in order to reveal the role of women who are hidden in nationalism.  </p>


2020 ◽  
Vol 28 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ernst Wolff

This article offers an encompassing interpretation of Paul Ricœur’s reception of Max Weber’s sociology. Three main domains in which Ricœur redeployed and revised insights from Weber are examined: (1) political responsibility and the definition of the state, (2) significant categories for understanding social interaction (notably ideology and authority) and the social ontology implied by this view on action and, finally, (3) the role of explanation in the interpretive social sciences. As a whole, this article argues that Weber was a significant interlocutor of Ricœur on a number of significant themes in the philosopher’s work. In particular, the article profiles the Weberian aspect of Ricœur’s social and political philosophy.


Author(s):  
Allyson Larkin

The turn to philosophical grounding in qualitative research demands a depth of historical and conceptual knowledge that many trained in the social sciences may lack. Kerry Howell ’ s A Philosophy of Methodology is a concise and useful guide to the key developments in Western epistemology then linking philosophical thought to social theory and paradigm of inquiry. For the novice researcher or graduate student, this book is an excellent desk reference, however there are several omissions, including feminism, which renders it a less - than - complete guide to the role of epistemology in social science inquiry.


2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (10) ◽  
pp. 365-364
Author(s):  
Igor Kopsov

We introduce a novel and comprehensive theory of human behavior and motivation, which incorporates within it both the laws of biology and core aspects of the social sciences. In continuation of the governing postulates of natural sciences we formulate the principle of preservation as the primary law of psychology; provide precise criteria for the definition of basic human needs and uncover their origin; explore the relation between body and mind; and show correlations between individual and social perspectives of life. Subsequently, we integrate these concepts into a unified model of human behavior. We reevaluate the place of psychology within the overall domain of social science and postulate the key role of psychological drives in formation of social processes both in the current and historical perspectives. The paper signifies a step towards establishment of a common paradigm of psychology.


Author(s):  
D. Vallejo ◽  
L. Sanandrés ◽  
V. Ruiz

We understand from the study of neuroscience that our mind has the power to change according to the social and cultural context in which we operate. The purpose of this research was to present epistemological theory, its importance in influencing decision-making, and strategic approaches from the perspective of complexity and neuroscience. For this, an in-depth bibliographic review was carried out based on the epistemological point of view and critical reading of published articles. The results demonstrated considerations about the presence of multiple philosophical traditions in the scientific process; the role of leadership and neuroscience as the axis of knowledge and their value for decision-making; and how, based on the paradigmatic dialectic, a new mental model and innovative foresight are useful for understanding the structures that require new models of planning for the future where possible and desirable. Thus, we conclude that a change of mentality to a new philosophy of interpretation of reality is important for the complexity of the construction of the future. Keywords: neurosciences, quality, managerial skills, neuroliderazgo. Resumen Desde la neurociencia nuestra mente tiene el poder de cambiar de acuerdo al contexto social y cultural en la que nos desenvolvemos, para ello hay que darle al cerebro la importancia de algo nuevo. El artículo tiene como propósito presentar la teoría epistemológica, y su importancia para formar mentes y pensamientos positivos para la toma de decisiones, y mejorar los enfoques estratégicos desde la perspectiva de la complejidad y la neurociencia; para ello se realizó una revisión bibliográfica a profundidad basados en dos enfoques desde lo epistemológico y la lectura crítica de artículos publicados. Frente a tal escenario, se pretende exponer consideraciones acerca de la presencia de estas tres tradiciones filosóficas en la manera científica argumentado liderazgo y neurociencia como eje del conocimiento y sobre su valor para la toma de decisiones fundamentados en la dialéctica paradigmática hacia un nuevo modelo mental e innovador, la prospectiva es útil para comprender las estructuras que requieren nuevos modelos de planificación del futuro en lo posible y lo deseable. En el nivel académico esta la respuesta a la complejidad para la construcción del futuro, es importante un cambio de mentalidad que este sujeto a una nueva filosofía de interpretación de la realidad. Palabras claves: neurociencias, calidad, habilidades directivas, neuroliderazgo.


2021 ◽  
pp. 159-173
Author(s):  
Rosa Sierra

AbstractThe chapter presents the design and content of a sustainability research project in the humanities and the social sciences, as well as some methodological and theoretical guidelines from two different transformational frameworks that were assessed in the project. It then outlines the tension that emerges when we consider transformation from the point of view of processes and try to integrate the role of agency, especially of actors that contest structures or processes rather than initiating or supporting them. It finally explores how this tension challenges the assessed frameworks and which aspects of them can be stressed in order to face the challenge.


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