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The SAGE Handbook of the Philosophy of Social Sciences
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The SAGE Handbook of the Philosophy of Social Sciences

Edited by:

Courses:
Research Methods

March 2011 | 772 pages | SAGE Publications Ltd
  • What is the relationship between the social sciences and the natural sciences?
  • Where do today's dominant approaches to doing social science come from?
  • What are the main fissures and debates in contemporary social scientific thought?
  • How are we to make sense of seemingly contrasting approaches to how social scientists find out about the world and justify their claims to have knowledge of it?

In this exciting Handbook, Ian Jarvie and Jesús Zamora-Bonilla have put together a wide-ranging and authoritative overview of the main philosophical currents and traditions at work in the social sciences today.

Starting with the history of social scientific thought, this Handbook sets out to explore that core fundamentals of social science practice, from issues of ontology and epistemology to issues of practical method. Along the way it investigates such notions as paradigm, empiricism, postmodernism, naturalism, language, agency, power, culture, and causality.

Bringing together in one volume leading authorities in the field from around the world, this book will be a must-have for any serious scholar or student of the social sciences.


Ian C Jarvie
Introduction: Philosophical Problems in the Social Sciences: Paradigms, Methodology and Ontology
 
PART ONE: THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE PHILOSOPHY OF SOCIAL SCIENCE
Joseph Agassi
The Philosophy of Social Science from Mandeville to Mannheim
David Teira
Continental Philosophies of the Social Sciences
Paul Roth
The Philosophy of Social Science in the 20th Century: Analytic Traditions: Reflections on the Rationalitätstreit
 
PART TWO: CENTRAL ISSUES IN SOCIAL ONTOLOGY
Don Ross
Naturalism: The Place of Society in Nature
Frank Hindriks
Language and Society
Laurence Kaufmann
Social Minds
Fred D'Agostino
Rational Agency
Alban Bouvier
Individualism, Collective Agency and the 'Micro-Macro Relation'
Fabienne Peter and Kai Spiekermann
Rules, Norms and Commitments
Andrea Pickel
Systems Theory
Angel Díaz de Rada
The Concept of Culture as Ontological Paradox
Daniel Little
Power and Social Class in the 21st Century
Daniel Steel
Causality, Causal Models and Social Mechanisms
 
PART THREE: A PHILOSOPHER'S GUIDE TO SOCIAL SCIENCE PARADIGMS
Cédric Paternotte
Rational-Choice Theory
Giacomo Bonanno
Game Theory
Joan de Martí and Yves Zenou
Social Networks
Maurice Salles and Antoinette Baujard
Normative Criteria of Social Choice
Peter Hedström and Petri Ylikoski
Analytical Sociology
Chrysostomos Mantzavinos
Institutions
Geoffrey Hodgson
Evolutionary Approaches
Anthony King
Functionalism and Structuralism
Hans-Herbert Köegler
Phenomenology, Hermeneutics and Ethnomethodology
Alex Dennis
Pragmatism and Symbolic Interactionism
Patrick Baert, Darin Weinberg and Véronique Mottier
Social Constructionism, Postmodernism and Deconstructionism
Sun-Ki Chai
Theories of Culture, Cognition and Action
Martin Morris
Communicative Action and Critical Theory
 
PART FOUR: METHODOLOGY: ASSESSING AND USING SOCIAL THEORIES
Heather Douglas
Facts, Values and Objectivity
Tarja Knuutila and Jaakko Kuorikoski
Idealized Representations, Inferential Devices and Cross-Disciplinary Tools: Theoretical Models in Social Sciences
Julian Reiss
Empirical Evidence: Its Nature and Sources
Francesco Guala
Experiments
Stephan Hartmann and Jan Sprenger
Mathematics and Statistics in the Social Sciences
Till Gr ne-Yanoff
Artificial Worlds and Agent-Based Simulation
Jeroen van Bouwel and Erik Weber
Explanation in the Social Sciences
Gregor Betz
Prediction
Steve Fuller
Science and Technology Studies and Social Epistemology: The Struggle for Normativity in Social Theories of Knowledge
María Jiménez and Jesús Zamora-Bonilla
Expert Judgment
Maarten Derksen and Anne Beaulieu
Social Technology
Jesús Zamora-Bonilla
EPILOGUE: Rationality in the Social Sciences: Bridging the Gap

Over four parts (37 chapters), the reader is promised coverage of the development and history of social sciences, as well as paradigms, assessment and use of social theories...Throughout, there are references to key thinkers and theories which provide a helpful refresher on social science history. In addition, the section summaries are clear and the notes and reference sections at the end of each chapter are useful...Not recommended for the casual browser, but a valuable reference book for anyone studying the history or philosophy of social sciences.

Lorraine Simpson
Blake Stevenson Ltd


The Handbook covers an impressively wide range of issues... the Handbook’s many virtues: its aim is ambitious, and it should serve its purpose extremely well.

Johanna Thoma
University of Toronto
Theoria

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