Philosophy of Science 8 PoS Revisited

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Philosophy of Science 8PoS Revisited

• Catching up Critical realism revisited
• Paradigms in socio-cultural science
• An example Confident cross-paradigmatic studies?
• Engaging disengagement? Research, values and
  truth
• Course evaluation

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Critical RealismWhat's new, what's (un)cool ?

• realist ontology an assumption ?
• basic scepticism about knowledge claims
• knowledge as negotiated meeting of
  realities/concepts
• neither empiricism nor relativism
• science as a particular form of knowledge
• risk of functional explanation through systemic
  focus?
• hermeneutics plus in study of socio-cultural
  studies?

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Paradigms in socio-cultural science- An overview

• Positivism
• knowledge through direct experience /
  generalisation
• science potentially useful
• Hermeneutics
• understanding through constructed ideal types
• rationality and comparison sustain knowledge

• Constructivism
• understanding of socio-cultural rules
• language define realities
• Critical realism
• fallible knowledge produced via 'means of
  representation'
• stratified reality tendencies, events,
  observations

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Socio-culturalCROSS-PARADIGMATISM ?

• Permanent inter-dependency
• no rules without agency
• no agency without rules
• pervasive risk of dislocation
• Two-dimensional research strategy
• understanding actors from within
• explaining patterns from without

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Identities, Rationalities andASSUMPTIONAL ORDERS

• Topographical
• inside/outside
• up/down
• Temporal
• past/future
• cause/consequence
• Strategic
• subject/object
• assistant/opponent

Source Henrik Halkier (2003) Discourse,
Institutions and Public Policy Change - Theory,
Methods and a Scottish Case Study, Spirit
Discussion Papers 23. (Inspirered by Koselleck
and Åkerstrøm Andersen) Can be downloaded from
http//www.ihis.aau.dk/spirit/pub/index.html
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www.investindk.com
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Engaging disengagement?Research, values and truth
Hollis says... The fact that concepts are
theory-laden, does not necessarily mean that they
are value laden ... and (Halkier) adds
therefore truth cannot be reduced to normative
judgement