Showing papers on "Realism published in 2002"
TL;DR: In this article, a perspective on the trend towards integrating psychology into economics is provided, and arguments are provided for why movement towards greater psychological realism in economics will improve mainstream economics. But the authors do not discuss the role of psychology in economic forecasting.
460 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors introduce critical realism and set out the implications for research and teaching in marketing, including economics, which is somewhat better articulated than many other schools of science philosophy.
238 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, White collects eight interrelated essays primarily concerned with the treatment of history in recent literary critical discourse, focusing on the conventions of historical writing and the ordering of historical consciousness.
Abstract: \"Hayden White...is the most prominent American scholar to unite historiography and literary criticism into a broader reflection on narrative and cultural understanding.\" --'The Johns Hopkins Guide to Literary Theory and Criticism' In his earlier books such as 'Tropics of Discourse' and 'The Content of the Form', Hayden White focused on the conventions of historical writing and on the ordering of historical consciousness. In 'Figural Realism', White collects eight interrelated essays primarily concerned with the treatment of history in recent literary critical discourse. \"'History' is not only an object we can study,\" writes White, \"it is also and even primarily a certain kind of relationship to 'the past' mediated by a distinctive kind of written discourse. It is because historical discourse is actualized in its culturally significant form as a specific kind of writing that we may consider the relevance of literary theory to both the theory and the practice of historiography.\
232 citations
Book•
01 Nov 2002
TL;DR: Utopianism and education: The Legacy of Thomas More as mentioned in this paper The Utopian Education Management and Leadership 6. Deliberative Democracy and UtopIAN School Governance 7. Putting Hope Back into Education
Abstract: 1. Hope and its Significance for Education 2. Utopianism as a Vocabulary of Hope 3. Utopianism and Education: The Legacy of Thomas More 4. Utopian Realism and a Third Way for Education 5. Utopian Educational Management and Leadership 6. Deliberative Democracy and Utopian School Governance 7. A Utopian Cultural Core Curriculum 8. Putting Hope Back into Education
151 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors examine the imaginative implications of contemporary Tanzanian economy and society for a select, but by no means peripheral, group of young men living and working, mostly in barbershops, but also in other "informal" businesses in the city of Arusha, one of the largest cities in Tanzania.
Abstract: One of the more compelling developments in contemporary sociocultural anthropology is its increasing attention to "the imagination." From the most spectacular fantasies to the most mundane reveries, imagining the world as it is and as it might be seems to be a rapidly expanding form of activity. Such imaginative acts are now held to be relevant-indeed necessary-not only to such predictable endeavors as consumption and leisure but to fields as diverse as the construction of civil society (Comaroff and Comaroff 1999a), the production of biomedical knowledge (Martin 1998), and nuclear proliferation (Gusterson 1999). This move towards all things imagined has further been characterized by an important kind of reflexivity, as exploring the complexities of "imagined communities" requires the exercise of the "ethnographic imagination." Indeed, even a cursory review of current ethnographic observations might lead us to conclude that nothing is now unimaginable. In this article I will examine the imaginative implications of contemporary Tanzanian economy and society for a select, but by no means peripheral, group of young men living and working, mostly in barbershops, but also in other "informal" businesses in the city of Arusha, one of the largest cities in Tanzania. The expansion of this informal sector in urban Tanzania and the diverse modes of imagining that characterize it are clearly emergent under conditions of what has been described as "globalization," and it is the intersection of these rubrics-"the imaginary" and "the global"-that I intend to explore. I would suggest as a point of theoretical departure that the analytical coupling of the imagination to processes of globalization has often obscured the ways that imaginative acts are in fact materially grounded in social activities. While calls for "localization" and attention to "lived experience" have been legion, too often the act of imagining is unmoored from the specific forms, times, and places through which persons project their possible lives. Thus, it is possible for Abu-Lughod to insist that viewers of Egyptian soap opera are "part of the same cultural worlds we inhabit-worlds of mass media, consumption, and dispersed communities of the imagination" (Abu-Lughod 1997:128). Surely the forms of global connectivity exemplified by soap opera establish, or at
137 citations
TL;DR: In the history of international relations, no single idea has been more influential than the notion that there was a ''great debate'' in the 1920s and 1930s between the advocates of idealism and the...
Abstract: In the history of international relations, no single idea has been more influential than the notion that there was a `great debate' in the 1920s and 1930s between the advocates of idealism and the ...
128 citations
15 Jul 2002
TL;DR: In this article, it is argued that both the undersocialised and the oversocialised models of humankind are inadequate foundations for social theory because they present us with either a self-sufficient maker of society, or a supine social product who is made.
Abstract: The central problem of theorising agency is how to conceptualise the human agent as someone who is both partly formed by their sociali ty, but also has the capacity partly to transform their society. The diff iculty is that social theorising has oscill ated between these two extremes. On the one hand, Enlightenment thought promoted an ‘undersocialised’ view of man, one whose human constitution owed nothing to society and thus was a self-suff icient ‘outsider’ , who simply operated in a social environment. On the other hand, there is a later but pervasive ‘oversocialised’ view of man whose every feature, beyond his biology, is shaped and moulded by his social context. He thus becomes such a dependent ‘ insider’ that he has no capacity to transform his social environment. Instead, if we are to understand and model the human being as both ‘ child’ and ‘parent’ of society, then social theory firstly needs a concept of man whose sociality does make a vital contribution to the realisation of his potential qua human being. Secondly, however, it requires a concept of man who does possess sufficient relatively autonomous properties and powers that he can reflect and act upon his social context, along with others li ke him, in order to transform it. It is argued that both the ‘undersocialised’ and the ‘oversocialised’ models of humankind are inadequate foundations for social theory because they present us with either a self-suff icient maker of society, or a supine social product who is made. The preliminary part of this paper seeks to show how these two defective models of the human being have sequentially dominated social theory since the Enlightenment, and to indicate their deficiencies for social theorising. The bulk of the paper attempts to substitute a better conceptionof man, from the perspective of social realism, which grants humankind (i) temporal priority, (ii) relative autonomy, and (ii i) causal efficacy, in relation to the social beings that they become and the powers of transformative reflection and action which they bring to their social context, powers that are independent of social mediation.
118 citations
01 Jan 2002
TL;DR: This article argued that anti-realist claims regarding the nature of social constructionism and the world it describes are erroneous, and argued that the version of constructionism proposed here is more compelling, credible and has greater utility than others that have been offered.
Abstract: This paper contends that anti-realist claims regarding the ‘nature’ of social constructionism and the world it describes are erroneous. Specifically, we argue that claims regarding the impossibility of referentiality and objectivity—often seen as defining characteristics of constructionism—mistake both the nature of the subject matter at hand and the consequences that follow from theoretical critiques of naive objectivism and realism. Drawing upon the (critical) realist philosophy of science, we illustrate, through the use of a particular case study, that the version of constructionism proposed here is more compelling, credible and has greater utility than others that have been offered.
110 citations
TL;DR: This paper argued that anti-realist claims regarding the ''nature'' of social constructionism and the world it describes are erroneous, and pointed out that the constructionism proposed here is more compelling, credible and has greater utility than others that have been offered.
Abstract: This paper contends that anti-realist claims regarding the `nature' of social constructionism and the world it describes are erroneous. Specifically, we argue that claims regarding the impossibility of referentiality and objectivity-often seen as defining characteristics of constructionism-mistake both the nature of the subject matter at hand and the consequences that follow from theoretical critiques of naive objectivism and realism. Drawing upon the (critical) realist philosophy of science, we illustrate, through the use of a particular case study, that the version of constructionism proposed here is more compelling, credible and has greater utility than others that have been offered.
106 citations
TL;DR: The study of immigration has garnered increased interest among political scientists as mentioned in this paper, with two dominant schools (the globalization and embedded realist theses) dominating the field of immigration research: the globalization and the realist.
Abstract: Long confined to historians and sociologists, the study of immigration has garnered increased interest among political scientists. Two dominant schools—the globalization and embedded realist theses...
104 citations
TL;DR: This article argued that realism has nothing to say about change in the actors, identities, social practices, and institutions that constitute the present or any future global order, and that realism is the very antithesis of constructivist theorizing.
Abstract: oes realism have nothing to say about change in the actors, identities, social practices, and institutions that constitute the present or any future global order? Constructivism has given renewed impetus to this perspective on realism due to its almost universal characterization as a challenge to realism's emphasis on structure at the expense of history.1 Because the reintroduction of "change" as an analytical concept into international relations (IR) theorizing proper is the constructivist goal, many constructivists believe realism is the very antithesis of constructivist theorizing. If the widely accepted claim that realism is incapable of accounting for dynamism in global politics is correct, it is hard to fathom how realism has managed to survive so long as a general theoretical category, let alone dominate the field, as its critics continue to claim.
TL;DR: The realist position appears to be inconsistent with the empirical finding that novice perceivers often use nonspecifying variables and converge on the use of information only after practice with feedback as discussed by the authors.
Abstract: This article first summarizes how the definition of perception as the detection of information follows from the assumption of realism (e.g., Shaw, Turvey, & Mace, 1982). The realist position appears to be inconsistent with the empirical finding that novice perceivers often use nonspecifying variables and converge on the use of information only after practice with feedback (e.g., Michaels & de Vries, 1998). We argue that the appearance of inconsistency is due to the application and evaluation of realist principles beyond the scale of phenomena to which they apply. If the relevant principles are considered at the appropriate scales, convergence on information and realism imply each other. We also argue that the possibility of convergence and the associated use of nonspecifying variables should always be considered in the analyses of experimental results, especially if the information-granting constraints prevailing in the experiment are different from those prevailing in natural ecologies.
01 Jan 2002
TL;DR: The marriage of critical realism and Marxism: happy, unhappy, or on the rocks? as mentioned in this paper discusses five ways in which critical realism can help Marxism 3. Critical realist arguments in Marx's Capital 4. What kind of theory is Marx's labour theory of value? A critical realist inquiry 5. Capitalism, regualtion approach, and critical realism 6. Critical realism: beyond the Marxism/post-Marxism divide.
Abstract: 1. The marriage of critical realism and Marxism: happy, unhappy or on the rocks? 2. Five ways in which critical realism can help Marxism 3. Critical realist arguments in Marx's Capital 4. What kind of theory is Marx's labour theory of value? A critical realist inquiry 5. Capitalism, regualtion approach, and critical realism 6. Critical realism: beyond the Marxism/post-Marxism divide 7. Materialism, realism and dialectics 8. Dialectic in Marxism and critical realism 9. Developing realistic philosophy: from critcal realism to material dialectics 10. From spaces of antagonism to spaces of engagement 11. The spectral ontology of value 12. Abstracting emancipation: two dialectics on the trial of freedom
Book•
07 Nov 2002TL;DR: In this article, Elman and Elman present a discussion of balance-of-power theory in the context of IR research and argue that it does not work well for international history.
Abstract: 1.Introduction: Appraising Balance of Power Theory, Colin Elman. I. THE INITIAL DEBATE. 2. The Realist Paradigm and Degenerative versus Progressive Research Programs: An Appraisal of Neotraditional Research on Waltz's Balancing Proposition, John Vasquez. 3. Evaluating Theories, Kenneth N. Waltz. 5. Progressive Research on Degenerate Alliances, Thomas J. Christensen and Jack Snyder. 6. New Realist Research on Alliances: Refining, Not Refuting, Waltz's Balancing Proposition, Randall Schweller. 7. Lakatos and Neorealism: A Reply to Vasquez, Colin Elman and Miriam Fendius Elman. 8. The New Debate on Balancing Power: A Reply to My Critics, John Vasquez. II. NEW CONTRIBUTIONS 9. Why Realism Does Not Work Well for International History (Whether or Not It Represents a Degenerate IR Research Strategy), Paul W. Schroeder. 10. Balances and Balancing: Concepts, Propositions, and Research Design, Jack S. Levy. 11. Is There a Balance of Power, Richard Rosecrance. 12. Neorealism's Logic and Evidence: When Is a Theory Falsified?, Bruce Bueno de Mesquita. 13. Paradoxical Functions of International Alliances: Does Regime Type Make a Difference?, Zeev Maoz. 14. Alliances, Balances of Threat, and Neorealism: The Accidental Coup, Michael Barnett. 15. Measuring Power-and the Power of Theories, William C. Wohlforth. 16. The Natural and Necessary Evolution of Structural Realism, Charles L. Glaser. III. CONCLUSIONS 17. Closing Dialogue, Colin Elman and John Vasquez. Combined References.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors argue for a consolidation and re-articulation of feminist values and the worth of the feminist emancipatory project, and suggest that reader-response criticism might provide a theoretical perspective with which to negotiate a path between relativism and realism in feminist re...
Abstract: Recently research on gender has exhibited a preoccupation with gender identity (particularly illustrated by the burgeoning body of work on masculinity). This work has frequently articulated and reflected a convincing attack on established positions in the area, drawing on post-modernist and post-feminist theory in order to challenge the notion of a fixed self, and to problematise the very concept of gender. Such positions present a challenge to the concept of the feminist subject, and to the feminist emancipatory project. This article seeks to re-examine questions integral to feminist theory in light of these challenges. Such issues include the notion of personhood, agency, and emancipatory intentions. The final part of the article argues for a consolidation and re-articulation of feminist values and the worth of the feminist emancipatory project, and suggests that reader-response criticism might provide a theoretical perspective with which to negotiate a path between relativism and realism in feminist re...
TL;DR: In this paper, a theory of contextualised rational action is proposed for the context of comparative housing policy, which is then applied in the contexts of tenant participation, management, and comparable housing policy.
Abstract: This paper considers the theoretical postulates of the discourses of 'objectivist realism' and social constructionism and discusses their relevance to housing studies. In place of such theories, the paper puts forward a theory of contextualised rational action. This theory is then applied in the contexts of 'tenant participation', 'housing management' and 'comparative housing policy'.
Book•
28 Oct 2002
TL;DR: The authors argue that realism can combine a strong definition of social reality with an anti-foundational approach to knowledge by avoiding the general deflationary approach that relies on reference to 'practices', and thus act as an underlabourer for empirical research.
Abstract: In recent years, methodological debates in the social sciences have increasingly focused on issues relating to epistemology. Realism and Sociology makes an original contribution to the debate, charting a middle ground between postmodernism and positivism.Critics often hold that realism tries to assume some definitive account of reality. Against this it is argued throughout the book that realism can combine a strong definition of social reality with an anti-foundational approach to knowledge. The position of realist anti-foundationalism that is argued for is developed and defended via the use of immanent critiques. These deal primarily with post-Wittgensteinian positions that seek to define knowledge and social reality in terms of 'rule-following practices' within different 'forms of life' and 'language games'. Specifically, the argument engages with Rorty's neo-pragmatism and the structuration theory of Giddens. The philosophy of Popper is also drawn upon in a critically appreciative way.While the positions of Rorty and Giddens seek to deflate the claims of 'grand theory', albeit in different ways, they both end up with definitive claims about knowledge and reality that preclude social research. By avoiding the general deflationary approach that relies on reference to 'practices', realism is able to combine a strong social ontology with an anti-foundational epistemology, and thus act as an underlabourer for empirical research.
Book•
19 Sep 2002
TL;DR: The culture concept emerged during the late nineteenth century through the intersection of two separate endeavors that shared a commitment to recording group-based difference - American literary realism and scientific ethnography as mentioned in this paper.
Abstract: "Culture" is a term we commonly use to explain the differences in our ways of living. In this book Michael A. Elliott returns to the moment this usage was first articulated, tracing the concept of culture to the writings -- folktales, dialect literature, local color sketches, and ethnographies -- that provided its intellectual underpinnings in turn-of-the-century America.The Culture Concept explains how this now-familiar definition of "culture" emerged during the late nineteenth century through the intersection of two separate endeavors that shared a commitment to recording group-based difference -- American literary realism and scientific ethnography. Elliott looks at early works of cultural studies as diverse as the conjure tales of Charles Chesnutt, the Ghost-Dance ethnography of James Mooney, and the prose narrative of the Omaha anthropologist-turned-author Francis La Flesche. His reading of these works -- which struggle to find appropriate theoretical and textual tools for articulating a less chauvinistic understanding of human difference -- is at once a recovery of a lost connection between American literary realism and ethnography and a productive inquiry into the usefulness of the culture concept as a critical tool in our time and times to come.
Book•
25 Apr 2002
TL;DR: The Role of the Ideal of Systemacity: A Realist Interpretation as discussed by the authors is a realist interpretation of the ideal of systemacity, and it is based on the principle of judgement and empirical intuition.
Abstract: 1. Empirical Realism and the Priority of Judgement 2. Judgement and Empirical Intuition 3. Judgement and the Manifold of Appearance 4. Truth and the Constraint of Possible Experience 5. The Role of the Ideal of Systemacity: A Realist Interpretation Bibliography, Index
01 Jan 2002
TL;DR: Campbell as mentioned in this paper argues that the current paradigm war between organizational positivists and evolutionary epistemologies is doomed to sink to even lower status in the broader scientific community, with a variety of negative consequences.
Abstract: Campbell’s search for resolution drove him to become a “critical, hypothetical, corrigible scientific realist” (1988b, p. 444−445). And as he himself admitted many times and as his work suggests so clearly, he also became an avowed evolutionary epistemologist. Scientific realism resolved the first dilemma. Evolutionary epistemology abrogated the third one and Campbell’s later conflation of evolutionary epistemology with hermeneutics nullified the fourth. In all of his writing, however, Campbell seems not have returned to the second one. One purpose of this chapter is to resolve the second dilemma. Assuming Campbell’s dilemmas are resolved and his epistemology at least preliminarily completed—realizing that no epistemology is ever finished—Campbell offers a useful message for organization science. His Campbellian realism provides the foundation for an objective organization science that does not deny the epistemological dynamics uncovered by historical relativists such as Hanson (1958), Kuhn (1962), and Feyerabend (1975) nor the sociology of knowledge developed by interpretists and social constructionists (Bloor 1976, Burrell and Morgan 1979, Brannigan, 1981, Shapin and Schaffer 1985, Latour and Woolgar 1986, Nickles 1989). Campbell’s epistemology and the broader scientific realist and evolutionary epistemologies upon which he draws suggest that the current paradigm war between organizational positivists (Pfeffer 1982, 1993, 1995; Donaldson 1985, 1996, Bacharach 1989), and relativists (Lincoln 1985, Lincoln and Guba 1985, Reed and Hughes 1992, Perrow, 1994, Van Maanen 1995a,b, Alvesson and Deetz 1996, Burrell 1996, Chia 1996) is philosophically uninformed, archaic, and dysfunctional. Does it matter that organization scientists are philosophically archaic? Indeed it does. Pfeffer (1993) presents data showing that multiparadigm disciplines are given low status in the broader scientific community, with a variety of negative consequences. Donaldson (1995) counts fifteen paradigms already and Prahalad and Hamel (1994) call for even more, as do Clegg, Hardy, and Nord (1996). As Campbell (1995) notes, the physical and biological sciences are held in high esteem because they hold to the goal of objectivity in science—the use of an objective external reality serves as the ultimate criterion variable for winnowing out inferior theories and paradigms. Relativist programs, on the other hand, in principle tolerate as many paradigms as there are socially constructed perspectives and interpretations. Hughes (1992, p. 297) says, “The naivety of reasoned certainties and reified objectivity, upon which organization theory built its positivist monuments to modernism, is unceremoniously jettisoned...[and] these articles of faith are unlikely to form the axioms of any rethinking or new theoretical directions....” If he is correct organization science is destined to proliferate even more paradigms and sink to even lower status—surely an unattractive outcome. Campbellian realism provides a way out of this downward spiral. A dynamic objectivist organization science that does not deny a social constructionist sociology of knowledge is possible. Surely this is a message that would delight many organization scientists. Campbell’s intense interest in scientific realism and evolutionary epistemology makes little sense absent a realization that he was well aware that philosophers had abandoned both the Received View and historical relativism by 1970. The epitaph appeared as Suppe’s The Structure of Scientific Theories in 1977. I begin with a painfully brief review of the essential arguments causing the abandoning. Then I turn to a discussion of some aspects of
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TL;DR: In the paper to which I am responding, Professor Ayers has set himself the task of formulating a tenable version of realism as discussed by the authors, and has done a number of things: he provides his reading of the origins and developments of the debate about realism and its alternatives in modern philosophy; he criticises some recent prominent ideas, as either inconsistent with realism, and hence as being, as he sees it, idealist, or as being in other ways inadequate; and he spells out, sometimes without fully developing them, different aspects of the views he favours.
Abstract: In the paper to which I am responding, Professor Ayers has set himself the task of formulating a tenable version of realism. Professor Ayers does a number of things: he provides his reading of the origins and developments of the debate about realism and its alternatives in modern philosophy; he criticises some recent prominent ideas, as either inconsistent with realism, and hence as being, as he sees it, idealist, or as being in other ways inadequate; and, he spells out, sometimes without fully developing them, different aspects of the views he favours. Ayers's discussion is both interesting and rich, and my response cannot engage with much of it. I shall certainly not attempt to give an answer to the question in Ayers's title.Article
TL;DR: The post-Cold War debate among positivist and post-positivist theorists of international security has not diminished Both realism and constructivism have now been established as the key intellectual competitors in Southeast Asian security studies.
Abstract: The post-Cold War debate among positivist and post-positivist theorists of international security - particularly realists, liberals and constructivists - has not diminished Both realism and constructivism have now been established as the key intellectual competitors in Southeast Asian security studies Following a brief intellectual history of Southeast Asian security studies, this paper reviews the major works of two political scientists who are leading authorities: Michael Leifer, a professor at the London School of Economics and Political Science and a realist; and Amitav Acharya, a professor at York University and a constructivist This review essay makes the following argument: constructivism is more insightful than balance-of-power realism, but it is more likely to conform to a sophisticated balance-of-threat theory - a form of ‘minimalist’ or ‘soft’ realism - which can help explain the daunting tasks of security-community building
01 Jan 2002
TL;DR: The concept of Ontological Catergory: a New Approach: Lorenz Puntel as mentioned in this paper The concept of ontology is a new approach to ontology and ontology.
Abstract: List of Contributors. Preface.1. Physics, Metaphysics, and Method in Newton's Dynamics: Lawrence Sklar.2. Causation: Wesley Salmon.3. What Events Are: Jonathan Bennett.4. Time, Temporality and Paradox, Richard M. Gale.5. A Thomist Metaphysics: John Haldane.6. The Concept of Ontological Catergory: a New Approach: Lorenz Puntel.7. Universals and Predication: Bruce Aune.8. Composition as a Fiction: Gideon Rosen and Cian Dorr.9. What Do We Refer To When We Say 'I'? Peter van Inwagen.10. Personal Identity: The Non-Branching Form of 'What Matters': Jennifer E. Whiting.11. Idealism: T.L.S. Sprigge.12. An Idealistic Realism: Presuppositional Realism and Justifcatory Idealism: Nichlas Rescher.13. Overcoming a Dualism of Concepts and Causes: The Basic Argument of 'Empiricism and the Philosophy of Mind': Robert Brandom.14. Metaphysical Realism and Logical Nonrealism: Panayot Butchvarov.15. The Metaphysics of Possibilia: William Lycan.16. The Actual and the Possible: Alexander Pruss. Index.
TL;DR: The methodological foundation of post Keynesian economics has received relatively less discussion and development as discussed by the authors, and the aim of this paper is to stimulate discussion in this area by advocating that the method of grounded theory is consistent with critical realism and is a better and more developed set of guidelines for theory creation than the currently accepted alternatives.
Abstract: For the last 15 years there have been extensive discussions about the foundations of Post Keynesian economics From these discussions, Post Keynesians have reached the consensus that their economics is based on a philosophical foundation of realism and critical realism However, the methodological foundation of Post Keynesian economics, which refers to the methodological guidelines used for creating and developing theory, has received relatively less discussion and development The aim of this paper is to stimulate discussion in this area by advocating that the method of grounded theory is consistent with critical realism and is a better and more developed set of guidelines for theory creation than the currently accepted alternatives Copyright 2002, Oxford University Press
TL;DR: In fact, once we begin to look in more detail at international relations in its formative years, a different image emerges that is at once more complex and by implication subversive of the standard account as discussed by the authors.
Abstract: Of all the self-images of the discipline of international relations, none holds more sway than that which insists that the early field was dominated by a form of utopianism that was later consigned to the dustbin of history by the outbreak of World War II and the Cold War This story continues to be crucial, both to the way scholars think about the evolution of the subject, and to the self-identity of realist thinkers who have exerted an unparalleled influence on international relations theory since 1939 The basic problem with this reading is that it is mistaken; in fact, once we begin to look in more detail at `IR' in its formative years, a different image emerges that is at once more complex and by implication subversive of the standard account Certainly, the perjorative terms `idealism' or `utopianism' do not adequately or accurately depict the interwar period of the field's history, especially in the United States
04 Jan 2002
TL;DR: The authors identified four social scientific orientations which have had peak period of popularity and now coexist as sedimented layers of work about mental health problems: social causationism, interpretive micro-sociology, political economy and poststructuralism.
Abstract: It is possible to identify four social scientific orientations which have had peak
periods of popularity and now coexist as sedimented layers of work about mental
health problems. These are social causationism; interpretive microsociology;
political economy and poststructuralism. We will dwell more on the last of these
because it has been the basis for a strong constructivist position, which we
consider has been an unwarranted overreaction to realism. For ease of reading,
discussions of these four approaches will be listed separately.
TL;DR: The main elements of the revisionary and philosophical interpretation of the jurisprudence of American Legal Realism that I have developed in a series of articles over the last decade are discussed in this article.
Abstract: This essay sets out the main elements of the revisionary and philosophical interpretation of the jurisprudence of American Legal Realism that I have developed in a series of articles over the last decade. This reading emphasizes the commitment of all the Realists to a core descriptive claim about adjudication (judges respond primarily to the underlying facts of the cases, rather than to legal rules and reasons); shows how the Realists divide in to two camps over the correct interpretation of this "core" claim (the Idiosncyrasy Wing of Frank, and the Sociological Wing of Llewellyn, Oliphant, Moore, Green, and the vast majority of Realists); demonstrates the connection of the Sociological Wing of Realism to the Realist project of law reform, including the work of the American Law Institute; examines and distinguishes the Realist arguments for the indeterminacy of law from Critical Legal Studies arguments; and shows how the Realists lay the foundation for the program of a "naturalized" jurisprudence, in opposition to the dominant "conceptual" jurisprudence of Anglophone legal philosophy. The revisionary reading also debunks certain popular myths about Legal Realism, like the following: the Realists believed "what the judge ate for breakfast determines the decision"; a critique of the public/private distinction was a central part of Realist jurisprudence; and the Realists were committed to an incoherent form of rule-skepticism.