A Fallibilist Social Methodology for Today's Institutional Problems

A Fallibilist Social Methodology for Today's Institutional Problems PDF

Author: John Wettersten

Publisher: Cambridge Scholars Publishing

Published: 2021-12-13

Total Pages: 498

ISBN-13: 1527578135

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This book identifies and explains far-ranging consequences for methodology as a consequence of the observation that all rationality is social, and highlights the need for methodological reforms in publications and interactions among colleagues and research programs. The idea that all rationality is social needs to be part and parcel of all social scientific theories, which means that their content must be changed. Sociology needs to study the impact of social rules, economics must revise assumptions about how individual rationality impacts financial developments, and cognitive psychology must include social dimensions. In addition, there is also a need for moral theories that explain how social standards of behavior can be improved in specific institutional contexts.

A Fallibilist Social Methodology for Today's Institutional Problems

A Fallibilist Social Methodology for Today's Institutional Problems PDF

Author: John Wettersten

Publisher: Cambridge Scholars Publishing

Published: 2022-02

Total Pages:

ISBN-13: 9781527577343

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This book identifies and explains far-ranging consequences for methodology as a consequence of the observation that all rationality is social, and highlights the need for methodological reforms in publications and interactions among colleagues and research programs. The idea that all rationality is social needs to be part and parcel of all social scientific theories, which means that their content must be changed. Sociology needs to study the impact of social rules, economics must revise assumptions about how individual rationality impacts financial developments, and cognitive psychology must include social dimensions. In addition, there is also a need for moral theories that explain how social standards of behavior can be improved in specific institutional contexts.

Fallibilist Solutions to Institutional Problems

Fallibilist Solutions to Institutional Problems PDF

Author: John Wettersten

Publisher: Cambridge Scholars Publishing

Published: 2022-03-04

Total Pages: 465

ISBN-13: 1527580911

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Since Karl Popper‘s fallibilist portrayal of scientific methodology in the 1940s, critical rationalism has developed in many ways, and in many fields. However, some of these developments still leave deep and important possibilities open. One of these is the portrayal of all rational actions as social. This book elucidates the significance of this perspective in regard to psychology, political and social philosophy, the understanding of how scientists can better communicate, and strategies for better living. The importance of the social theory of rationality for psychology arises above all due to the numerous assumptions made in psychological research that rationality is strictly individualist. This is at hand, for example, in its historical portrayal and in important aspects of cognitive psychology. As shown here, these assumptions have damaging consequences for the relationship of rationality with cognitive and social psychology.

How Do Institutions Steer Events?

How Do Institutions Steer Events? PDF

Author: John Wettersten

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2017-03-02

Total Pages: 308

ISBN-13: 1351930257

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Theories of explanation in the social sciences vacillate between holism and individualism. Wettersten contends that this has been a consequence of theories of rationality which assume that rationality requires coherent theories to be shown to be true. Rejecting these traditional assumptions about rationality Wettersten claims that the traditional explanations of rationality have placed unrealistic demands on both individuals and institutions. Analysing the theories of Weber and Popper, Wettersten shows that Popper made considerable progress in the theory of rationality, but ultimately stayed too close to the ideas of Hayek, he explains how this dilemma leads to difficulties in economics, anthropology, sociology, ethics and political theory, and constructs an alternative theory that rationality is critical problem-solving in institutional contexts. Wettersten contends that 'the critical consideration of theories followed by their improvement' dispenses with the need for justification and sees rationality as a social phenomena with an institutional basis. The main social advantages this view offers is that the degree of rationality individuals achieve may be increased by institutional reform without moralizing and that we can explain how institutions steer events insofar as we understand how they determine the problems which individuals seek to solve. It is argued that the central moral advantage of this view is that rationality is shown to be Spinozistic in the sense that it is natural and furthers morality and peace of mind.

Understanding Institutions

Understanding Institutions PDF

Author: Francesco Guala

Publisher: Princeton University Press

Published: 2023-01-10

Total Pages: 256

ISBN-13: 0691242356

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A groundbreaking new synthesis and theory of social institutions Understanding Institutions proposes a new unified theory of social institutions that combines the best insights of philosophers and social scientists who have written on this topic. Francesco Guala presents a theory that combines the features of three influential views of institutions: as equilibria of strategic games, as regulative rules, and as constitutive rules. Guala explains key institutions like money, private property, and marriage, and develops a much-needed unification of equilibrium- and rules-based approaches. Although he uses game theory concepts, the theory is presented in a simple, clear style that is accessible to a wide audience of scholars working in different fields. Outlining and discussing various implications of the unified theory, Guala addresses venerable issues such as reflexivity, realism, Verstehen, and fallibilism in the social sciences. He also critically analyses the theory of "looping effects" and "interactive kinds" defended by Ian Hacking, and asks whether it is possible to draw a demarcation between social and natural science using the criteria of causal and ontological dependence. Focusing on current debates about the definition of marriage, Guala shows how these abstract philosophical issues have important practical and political consequences. Moving beyond specific cases to general models and principles, Understanding Institutions offers new perspectives on what institutions are, how they work, and what they can do for us.

Critical Management Perspectives on Information Systems

Critical Management Perspectives on Information Systems PDF

Author: Carole Brooke

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2009-04-09

Total Pages: 299

ISBN-13: 1136441476

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Critical Management Perspectives on Information Systems provides a coherent set of reference points to show students and researchers the organizational issues of information systems in theory, method and practice. Combining fresh and insightful contributions from lead researchers in the field, the book illustrates the diversity of approaches to critical research, presents practical examples and demonstrates the lessons learnt from applying a critical approach. Exploring the management and organizational issues of information systems from a range of critical theory viewpoints, Critical Management Perspectives on Information Systems sets out the key theoretical underpinnings of different critical approaches and considers the issues associated with designing critical methodologies for systems design and study. The book is suitable for final year undergraduate, research and postgraduate courses in information systems, management and organizational studies.

Institutional Analysis and Praxis

Institutional Analysis and Praxis PDF

Author: Tara Natarajan

Publisher: Springer

Published: 2010-11-03

Total Pages: 349

ISBN-13: 9780387889429

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There has never been a better time for the social fabric matrix. As this book is being published, the idea that unregulated market capitalism leads to the best of all possible worlds has been thoroughly discredited. A series of economic and social problems have come to the forefront of national discussion and policy debates. There is now widespread acceptance that human activity, particularly the consu- tion of nonrenewable energy resources, has contributed to global warming. The lack of oversight of the financial industry encouraged reckless practices that endangered the stability of the entire financial system, prompting bailout efforts based on the fragile interdependence of the financial and economic systems. The shortcomings of our health care system are increasingly evident, including the growing number of uninsured citizens, the difficulties for businesses in offering health insurance, and the effects of health and health care on the ability of individuals and families to maintain a decent standard of living. Perhaps the best illustration of a complex system that cries out for coordinated policy-making is in the critical area of energy, where public and private decisions on energy policy not only have direct effects on consumer costs, but also have effects on global warming, local ecosystems, int- national relations, the health of our citizens, and the sustainability of companies and communities. In short, there is growing recognition of the interdependence of the economic system with the environment and the broader institutions of society.

Research in the Social Scientific Study of Religion, Volume 30

Research in the Social Scientific Study of Religion, Volume 30 PDF

Author: Ralph W. Hood

Publisher: BRILL

Published: 2019-12-16

Total Pages: 482

ISBN-13: 9004416986

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The 30th volume of Research in the Social Scientific Study of Religion consists of two special sections, as well as two separate empirical studies on attachment and daily spiritual practices. The first special section deals with the social scientific study of religion in Indonesia. Indonesia is a predominantly Muslim country whose history and contemporary involvement in the study of religion is explored from both sociological and psychological perspectives. The second special section is on the Pope Francis effect: the challenges of modernization in the Catholic church and the global impact of Pope Francis. While its focus is mainly on the Catholic religion, the internal dynamics and geopolitics explored apply more broadly.

Fallibilist Solutions to Institutional Problems

Fallibilist Solutions to Institutional Problems PDF

Author: JOHN. WETTERSTEN

Publisher:

Published: 2023-04-22

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9781527598041

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Since Karl Popper's fallibilist portrayal of scientific methodology in the 1940s, critical rationalism has developed in many ways, and in many fields. However, some of these developments still leave deep and important possibilities open. One of these is the portrayal of all rational actions as social. This book elucidates the significance of this perspective in regard to psychology, political and social philosophy, the understanding of how scientists can better communicate, and strategies for better living. The importance of the social theory of rationality for psychology arises above all due to the numerous assumptions made in psychological research that rationality is strictly individualist. This is at hand, for example, in its historical portrayal and in important aspects of cognitive psychology. As shown here, these assumptions have damaging consequences for the relationship of rationality with cognitive and social psychology.

Hermeneutic Dialogue and Social Science

Hermeneutic Dialogue and Social Science PDF

Author: Austin Harrington

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2013-01-11

Total Pages: 190

ISBN-13: 1135132852

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This book explores the writings of Gadamer and Habermas on hermeneutics and the methodology of the social sciences. By re-examining their views of earlier interpretive theorists, from Wilhelm Dilthey to Max Weber and Alfred Schutz, it offers a radical challenge to their idea of the 'dialogue' between researchers and their subjects.