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Ted Benton, and Ian Craib, Philosophy of Social Science. The 9780230_242609_01_prex.fm Page i Friday, September 10, 2010 10:14 PM TRADITIONS IN SOCIAL THEORY Founding Editor: Ian Craib Series Editor: Rob Stones This series offers a selection of concise introductions to particular traditions in sociological thought. It aims to deepen the reader’s knowledge of particular theoreti- cal approaches and at the same time to enhance their wider understanding of sociolog- ical theorising. Each book will offer: a history of the chosen approach and the debates that have driven it forward; a discussion of the current state of the debates within the approach (or debates with other approaches); and an argument for the distinctive contribution of the approach and its likely future value. The series is a companion to the Themes in Social Theory series, edited by Rob Stones. Published PHILOSOPHY OF SOCIAL SCIENCE (Second Edition) Ted Benton and Ian Craib CRITICAL THEORY Alan How STRUCTURATION THEORY Rob Stones MARXISM AND SOCIAL THEORY Jonathon Joseph MICRO SOCIAL THEORY Brian Roberts Forthcoming THE DURKHEIMIAN QUEST David Howarth POST-STRUCTURALISM AND AFTER Willie Watts Miller and Susan Stedman Jones 9780230_242609_01_prex.fm Page ii Friday, September 10, 2010 10:14 PM THEMES IN SOCIAL THEORY This series explores how cutting-edge research within the social sciences relies on combinations of social theory and empirical evidence. Different books examine how this relationship works in particular subject areas, from technology and health to poli- tics and human rights. Giving the reader a brief overview of the major theoretical approaches used in an area, the books then describe their application in a range of empirical projects. Each text looks at contemporary and classical theories, provides a map of primary research carried out in the subject area and highlights advances in the field. The series is a companion to the Traditions in Social Theory series, founded by Ian Craib and edited by Rob Stones. Published HEALTH AND SOCIAL THEORY Fernando De Maio Forthcoming CRIME AND SOCIAL THEORY Eammon Carrabine POLITICS AND SOCIAL THEORY Will Leggett TECHNOLOGY AND SOCIAL THEORY Steve Matthewman HUMAN RIGHTS AND SOCIAL THEORY Lydia Morris INTERNATIONAL MIGRATION AND SOCIAL THEORY Karen O’Reilly ENVIRONMENT, NATURE AND SOCIAL THEORY Damian White, Alan Rudy and Brian Gareau Further titles in preparation 9780230_242609_01_prex.fm Page iii Friday, September 10, 2010 10:14 PM Philosophy of Social Science The Philosophical Foundations of Social Thought 2nd Edition Ted Benton and Ian Craib 9780230_242609_01_prex.fm Page iv Friday, September 10, 2010 10:14 PM © Ted Benton and Ian Craib 2001, 2011 All rights reserved. No reproduction, copy or transmission of this publication may be made without written permission. No portion of this publication may be reproduced, copied or transmitted save with written permission or in accordance with the provisions of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, or under the terms of any licence permitting limited copying issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency, Saffron House, 6-10 Kirby Street, London EC1N 8TS. Any person who does any unauthorized act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages. The authors have asserted their rights to be identified as the authors of this work in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. First edition 2001 Second edition 2011 Published by PALGRAVE MACMILLAN Palgrave Macmillan in the UK is an imprint of Macmillan Publishers Limited, registered in England, company number 785998, of Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire RG21 6XS. Palgrave Macmillan in the US is a division of St Martin’s Press LLC, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010. Palgrave Macmillan is the global academic imprint of the above companies and has companies and representatives throughout the world. Palgrave® and Macmillan® are registered trademarks in the United States, the United Kingdom, Europe and other countries. ISBN 978–0–230–24259–3 hardback ISBN 978–0–230–24260–9 paperback This book is printed on paper suitable for recycling and made from fully managed and sustained forest sources. Logging, pulping and manufacturing processes are expected to conform to the environmental regulations of the country of origin. A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. A catalog record for this book is available from the Library of Congress. 10987654321 20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 Printed in China 9780230_242609_01_prex.fm Page v Friday, September 10, 2010 10:14 PM Contents Preface to the Second Edition ix 1 Introduction to the First Edition 1 Philosophy and the Social Sciences 1 A Philosophical Toolkit 3 Politics and Political Philosophy 8 The Book and Its Arguments 8 How to Read the Book 11 2 Empiricism and Positivism in Science 13 Introduction 13 Empiricism and the Theory of Knowledge 13 Positivism and Sociology 22 Further Reading 27 3 Some Problems of Empiricism and Positivism 28 Introduction: Two Ways to Criticize Positivism 28 Some Problems of Empiricism 29 Further Problems of Positivism 45 Further Reading 49 4 Science, Nature and Society: Some Alternatives to Empiricism 50 Marxism and Science 50 Weber, Merton and the Sociology of Science 53 Historical Epistemology and Structural Marxism 55 Revolutions and Relativism: From Kuhn to the ‘Strong Programme’ 58 Gender and Science: The Feminist Vision 63 The Reflexive Turn: ‘Constructing’ Nature and Society 67 Conclusion 73 Further Reading 74 Post-script 74 v 9780230_242609_01_prex.fm Page vi Friday, September 10, 2010 10:14 PM vi Contents 5 Interpretive Approaches 1: Instrumental Rationality 76 Weber’s Discussion of the Objects of the Social Sciences 77 Weber’s Methodology: Understanding and Ideal Types 80 Weber on Objectivity and Value Freedom 82 Phenomenology: A Philosophical Foundation for Instrumental Rationality 83 Instrumental Variations I: Rational Choice Theory 86 Instrumental Variations II: Pragmatism and Symbolic Interactionism 87 Reasons and Causes 89 Individualism, Holism and Functional Explanation 90 Conclusion 91 Further Reading 92 Post-script 93 6 Interpretive Approaches 2: Rationality as Rule-Following: Cultures, Traditions and Hermeneutics 94 Introduction 94 Peter Winch: Philosophy and Social Science 95 Language, Games and Rules 96 Understanding Other Societies 98 What Can We Do with Winch? 101 Alisdair MacIntyre: Narratives and Communities 102 Hermeneutics: Hans-Georg Gadamar 104 Conclusion 106 Further Reading 107 Post-script 107 7 Interpretive Approaches 3: Critical Rationality 108 Introduction: Hegel, Marx and the Dialectic 108 The Dialectic of the Enlightenment 111 Ideology 112 Habermas: The Possibility of an Emancipatory Science 114 Critical Theory and the Linguistic Turn 116 Conclusion 118 Further Reading 119 Post-script 119 8 Critical Realism and the Social Sciences 120 Introduction 120 Realism and Natural Science 122 9780230_242609_01_prex.fm Page vii Friday, September 10, 2010 10:14 PM Contents vii Experiments, Laws and Mechanisms 124 Reality as Stratified 125 Stratification, Emergence and Reduction 126 Reality as Differentiated: Closed and Open Systems 129 Realism and Social Science 131 Critical Realism and Human Emancipation 136 Further Reading 140 Post-script 140 9 Feminism, Knowledge and Society 142 Introduction: Objectivity and Cultural Diversity 142 Feminist Politics and Social Knowledge 145 Feminism and Epistemology 147 Debating the Feminist Standpoint 154 Post-modern Feminism 160 Further Reading 161 Post-script 161 10 Post-structuralism and Post-modernism 163 Introduction 163 Post-structuralism: The Move to the Signifier 166 Foucault: The Construction of the Subject 167 Derrida and Deconstruction 169 Post-modernism: Losing Philosophy 171 The Politics of Post-structuralism and Post-modernism 172 What Do We Do with the Posts? 173 Further Reading 175 Post-script 175 11 Conclusion: In Defence of Philosophy 177 12 Commentary on Recent Developments 183 Peter Winch and Hermeneutics 184 Meaning, Action and Explanation 185 Understanding Other Cultures and Criticizing One’s Own 189 ‘Limiting notions’, Human Nature and Social Science Naturalism 192 9780230_242609_01_prex.fm Page viii Friday, September 10, 2010 10:14 PM viii Contents Post-Marxism and Post-Structuralism 195 Critical Realism and Social Science 202 Appendix I: Personal Conclusions 218 Appendix II: Obituary for Professor Ian Craib (1945–2002) 228 Glossary 231 Bibliography 239 Index 255 9780230_242609_01_prex.fm Page ix Friday, September 10, 2010 10:14 PM Preface to the Second Edition The death of my co-author, Ian Craib, on the 22 December 2002 has made the preparation of this second edition both poignant and somewhat awesome. Although, rather to the surprise of both of us, we were able to co-write a book with little or no discomfort, there were quite deep differences of philosophical orientation between us (see Appendix I – originally intended to be included as Chapter 11 of the first edition). I have therefore refrained from any attempt at revision of Ian’s chapters and, as a consequence, have left my own as they were However, in the 10 years or so since we wrote our respective sections of the book, the literature of the philosophy of social science has grown. As the rate of change in philosophy and its sub-disciplines is usually quite slow – even ‘glacial’ – it is unlikely that a topic such as ours will have been transformed in so short a time-span. Where new developments have seemed to me of particu- lar significance, in clarifying, developing or calling into question our lines of argument in the first edition, I have added a short post-script to the relevant chapter. In most cases, this will refer the reader to a more detailed treatment in the new chapter ‘Commentary on Recent Developments’, written specifically for this edition. Again, published work that has appeared since the first edition has been added to the bibliography. Inevitably, the selection of new work for discussion in this edition would have been different if I had been sharing the task with Ian. Almost certainly significant new thinking has appeared but no one volume could cover all materials.
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