Readings in the philosophy of social science

Abstract

Part 1 Introduction: are the social sciences really inferior?, Fritz Machlup what would an adequate philosophy of social science look like?, Brian Fay and J. Donald Moon. Part 2 Explanation, prediction and laws: the function of general laws in history, Carl G. Hempel the theory of complex phenomena, F.A. Hayek a possible distinction between traditional scientific disciplines and the study of human behaviour, Michael Scriven psychology as philosophy, Donald Davidson general laws and explaining human behaviour, Brian Fay defending laws in the social sciences, Harold Kincaid complexity and social scientific laws, Lee C. McIntyre reflexive predictions, George D. Romanos. Part 3 Interpretation and meaning: human nature and human history, R.G. Collingwood the rationale of actions, William Dray interpretation and the sciences of man, Charles Taylor thick description - toward an interpretive theory of culture, Clifford Geertz hermeneutics and the hypothetico-deductive method, Dagfinn Follesdal another look at the doctrine of Verstehen, Jane Roland Martin Taylor on interpretation and the sciences of man, Michael Martin. Part 4 Rationality: some problems about rationality, Steven Lukes the status of rationality assumptions in interpretation and in the explanation of action, Dagfinn Follesdal the nature and scope of rational-choice explanation, Jon Elster the principle of charity and the problem of irrationality (translation and the problem of irrationality), David K. Henderson. Part 5 Functional explanation: the logic of functional analysis, Carl G. Hempel function and cause, R.P. Dore functional explanation - in Marxism, G.A. Cohen, in social science, Jon Elster assessing functional explanations in the social sciences, Harold Kincaid. Part 6 Reductionism, individualism and holism: social facts, Emile Durkheim historical explanation in the social sciences, J.W.N. Watkins methodological individualism reconsidered, Steven Lukes methodological individualism and social explanation, Richard W. Miller microfoundations of Marxism, Daniel Little reduction, explanation and individualism, Harold Kincaid social science and the mental, Alan J. Nelson. Part 7 Objectivity and values: objectivity in social science and social policy, Max Weber neutrality in political science, Charles Taylor the value-oriented bias of social inquiry, Ernest Nagel the philosophical importance of the Rosenthal effect, Michael Martin psychology constructs the female, Naomi Weisstein reasoning about ourselves - feminist methodology in the social sciences, Alison Wylie a method for critical research, Donald E. Comstock. Part 8 Problems of the special sciences: the methodology of positive economics, Milton Friedman if economics isn't science, what is it?, Alexander Rosenberg actions, reasons and causes, Donald Davidson special sciences (or the disunity of science as a working hypothesis), Jerry Fodor. (Part contents).

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