Journal ArticleDOI
Critical Realism and the Limits of Philosophy
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TLDR
In this paper, a contrast with ontological argument in the natural sciences is drawn to demonstrate the illegitimacy of this manoeuvre, showing that ontological claims can be given some justification, but only when they are derived from research that is widely held to be empirically successful.Abstract:
This article critiques the idea that, by establishing a general framework within which research must be conducted, philosophical argument can ‘take the lead’ in relation to research. It develops Holmwood’s work in this area by examining the ontological arguments put forward by critical realists, which attempt to establish the fundamental characteristics of the social realm prior to the production of empirically successful research in that realm. The article draws on a contrast with ontological argument in the natural sciences to demonstrate the illegitimacy of this manoeuvre, showing that ontological claims can be given some justification, but only when they are derived from research that is widely held to be empirically successful. Realist ontological claims in the social sciences do not have this basis, and it is argued that Bhaskar’s alternative mode of justification for these claims is unconvincing. Archer’s view is also criticized that critical realist arguments should be given a strong regulatory ro...read more
Citations
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Journal ArticleDOI
Philosophy and the Mirror of Nature
TL;DR: Rorty's philosophy and the mirror of nature brings to light the deep sense of crisis within the profession of academic philosophy which is similar to the paralyzing pluralism in contemporary theology and the inveterate indeterminacy of literary criticism as mentioned in this paper.
Book
科学研究纲领方法论 = The methodology of scientific research programmes
拉卡托斯,Imre Lakatos +1 more
TL;DR: In this article, the authors discuss the history of science and pseudoscience, and the methodology of scientific research programs, and why Copernicus's research programme superseded Ptolemy's.
Journal ArticleDOI
Relational Thinking: A Critique of Co-Deterministic Theories of Structure and Agency*:
TL;DR: In this article, the authors present a relational criticism of the co-deterministic theory of M. Archer and identify five basic principles of relational sociology based on the study of complex and empirical trans-actions.
Journal ArticleDOI
The emergent ‘coaching industry’: a wake-up call for HRD professionals
TL;DR: A comparative study of the different conceptualizations and definitions of "coaching" and contemporary HRD is presented in this article, which suggests that the intended purposes and processes associated with both fields of practice are virtually the same.
Journal ArticleDOI
Society, Biology, and Ecology: Bringing Nature Back Into Sociology’s Disciplinary Narrative Through Critical Realism
TL;DR: In this paper, a call to sociology proper to bring nature back in is made, which is a continuance and a reformulation of an ongoing project: a call for sociology to "Bring Nature Back in".
References
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Book
The Social System
TL;DR: In the history of sociological theory, Talcott Parsons holds a very special place. as discussed by the authors presents a major scientific and intellectual advance towards the theory of action first outlined in his earlier work.
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The Theory of Communicative Action
Jürgen Habermas,Thomas McCarthy +1 more
TL;DR: In this article, an apex seal for a rotary combustion engine is disclosed having a hollow, thin wall, tubular, metal core member embedded in an extruded composite metal-carbon matrix, adapted to slideably engage the slot of the rotor in which it rides and sealingly engage the rotor housing against which it is spring and gas pressure biased.
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Philosophy and the Mirror of Nature
TL;DR: The authors argued that the questions about truth posed by Descartes, Kant, Hegel, and modern epistemologists and philosophers of language simply cannot be answered and were, in any case, irrelevant to serious social and cultural inquiry.
Journal ArticleDOI
The Social System.
Ellsworth Faris,Talcott Parsons +1 more
TL;DR: In the history of sociological theory, Talcott Parsons holds a very special place. as mentioned in this paper presents a major scientific and intellectual advance towards the theory of action first outlined in his earlier work.
Book
Central Problems in Social Theory: Action, Structure and Contradiction in Social Analysis
TL;DR: In this article, the authors propose a framework for social theory based on structuralism and the theory of the subject, with a focus on contradiction, power, and historical materialism.