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Charles Taylor and the Distinction Between the Sciences B.A., Acadia Charles Taylor and the Distinction Between the Sciences James Andrew Cousins B.A., Acadia University, 1997 Thesis submitted in partial fulnllment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts (Political Science) Acadia University July 2000 O by James Andrew Cousins, 2000. National Library Bibliothèque nationale 1*1 of Canada du Canada Acquisitions and Acquisitions et Bibliographie Services services bibliographiques 395 Wellington Street 395, rue Wellington Ottawa ON K1A ON4 Ottawa ON KIA ON4 Canada Canada The author has granted a non- L'auteur a accordé une licence non exclusive licence allowing the exclusive permettant à la National Library of Canada to Bibliothèque nationale du Canada de reproduce, loan, distribute or sell reproduire, prêter, distribuer ou copies of this thesis in microfom, vendre des copies de cette thèse sous paper or electronic formats. la forme de microfiche/nlm, de reproduction sur papier ou sur format électronique. The author retains ownership of the L'auteur conserve la propriété du copyright in this thesis. Neither the droit d'auteur qui protège cette thèse. thesis nor substantial extracts fkom it Ni la thèse ni des extraits substantiels may be printed or otherwise de celle-ci ne doivent être imprimés reproduced without the author's ou autrement reproduits sans son permission. autorisation. Table of Contents Abstract ................................................................................................................................ v Acknow ledgments.. ..... ... .... ... ........*.*....................................................*.....................vi Chapter 1: Introduction ........................*....................... ... ............*......................*........*.. .1 Chapter 2: Ontology............................................................................................................ 7 Chapter 3 : So Says the Hedgehog: Epistemology Taylor Made.. ..................................... 19 Chapter 4: Paradigms and Pragmatists: Kuhn and Rorty on the Distinction Between the Sciences.. ........... .,... ................................................................................. -54 Chapter 5: Addressing the Criticisms and Considering a New Way to Divide the Sciences.. .............. ......................................................................................................-8 9 Chapter 6: Conclusion.................................................................................................... 12 1 Bibliography ................................................................................................................... 125 CharIes Taylor is one of modem philosophy's brightest lights, He has written on a myriad of poIitical, sociological, and philosophicd themes; however, Taylor's concern with the philosophy of the social sciences has been the tie that has held together his diverse anthology of scholarship- The objective of this thesis is to examine cntically Charles Taylor's contribution to the phiIosophy of the social sciences. For this purpose, Taylor's hemeneutic approach to the study of human phenomena is discussed and distinguished fiom Iogical empiricism, the post-empincism of Thomas Kuhn, and the universal hermeneutics of Richard Rorty- A focal point of the thesis is Taylor's cornmitment to the duality of science and his attempts to preserve the so-called Diltheyan distinction. The thesis aIso examines and ultimately rejects the Kuhnian suggestion that a tripartite division of science wodd be more adequate than Taylor's dichotomy. Acknowledgments 1 would like to give my sincere thanks to Professor Greg Pyrcz for his patience, guidance, and congenial encouragement. Despite my background in history, Greg has always made me feel 1ike a welcome member of the Political Science Department, considered my academic background to be a an asset for the study of politics, and has encouraged me to use historicai strengths. 1 wodd also like to thank the rest of the Department, and especially Professors Agar Adamson, Marshall Conley, and Ian Stewart with whom 1had the opportunity to work. A special thanks must also be given to my professors and fiiends in the Departrnent of History for their advice and support. In particular, 1 would like to thank Professors Barry Moody and Bruce Matthews whom 1 consider to be my mentors. 1 am especially grateful to my family. I would like to thank rny wife Arilea Si11 for Iistening to my ideas, encouraging me, and inspiring me to work hard by the steIIar example that she has set. FinaIly, 1 am gratefid to my parents Roy and Helen Cousins, and Reg and Mary Sill. Without them ttiis thesis would not have been possible. Chapter One: Introduction A 1994 histonographical survey noted that, at that tirne, there were at Ieast 2 10 different explanations given for the cause of the collapse of Rome's Western Empire. These interpretations ranged fiom the plausibIe and probable to the unlikely, absurd and bizarre citing such factors as climatic changes, lead pipes and ~hristianity' This thesis is not a history of Rome, nor is it a historical study of the reasons for the fall of the Western Empire. Rather, this thesis concerns social scientSc method, what makes a good interpretation or explanation and, in particular, the hermeneutic method employed by Canadian intellectual Charles Taylor. The example given above - the fdl of Rome - illustrates the fact that there is great diversity attached to social scientific inquiry and that rival interpretations are cornmonplace, since social scientists typically ask different questions and make use of a myrïad of methodological approaches. As stated above, this thesis focuses on Taylor's hermeneutic approach to social scientific study, and how it differs fiom a number of competing approaches. Although hemeneutics has become influentid in the twentieth century, it is actuaily a very old idea- The word hermeneutics is derived from the Greek verb herrneneuein - meaning to interpret - and the noun hermeneia which means interpretation. The word appears in either the verb or noun form in the works of many of the ancient philosophers and literary figures 1 C. Hollister, Medieval Eurow : A Short History (Santa Barbara: McGraw-Hill, Inc., 1994), p. 26. Uicluding Plato, Arïstotle, and Plutarch. In fact, Plato referred to the poets as the hermenes - interpreters - of the gods, The term is also associated with the Greek god Hermes - rnessenger of the gods and the inventor of language and w-riting.* From a modern perspective, hermeneutics has corne to mean the art of interpretation or the "study of the methodological principles of interpretation and e~~lanation.~ Modern hermeneutics, as a theory of interpretaîïon, came into being largely as a result of the Protestant Reformation. Church reformers rejected the allegorical method of interpreting the Scripture that was used by the Catholic clergy of the day, and the translation of the Bible into the vernacular ultimately resulted in a plurality of rival interpretations. As such, the need arose for a method of interpreting sacred texts and the study of interpretation that emerged became known as hermeneuticd Keeping in mind the evangelical roots of the modem meaning of the word, it is not surprising that many of the early hermeneutic thinkers - i-e. Schleiermacher and Dilthey - were theologians. Hermeneutics was re-discovered and transfonned in the twentieth century largely due to the influence of Martin Heidegger and Km-Georg Gadarner. They cnticised empiricism and logicd empiricism in a way that ernphasised the Diltheyan distinction between the sciences. Charles Taylor's hermeneutic project has been greatly infhenced by post-Heideggerian hermeneutics. That behg said, the prirnary focus of this thesis is Charles Taylor's contribution to the philosophy of the social sciences. Before turning to this task, however, it rnay prove beneficial to spend some time introducing Taylor. Richard Palmer, Hermeneutics (Evanston: Northwestern University Press, 1969), pp. 12- 13. Ibid.. p. 4. 4- James Phillips, "Key Concepts: Hermeneutics", Philoso~hv,Psvchiatw, & Psvcholow, Charles Taylor was bom in 1931. He received his BA fiom McGill University in 1952 and his doctorate fiom Ail Souls Collage, Oxford in 1961. Taylor taught philosophy at McGill fiom 196 1 until his recent retirement? Charles Taylor is considered one of the most influentid and well-respected philosophers of the post-war era, and is celebrated for being one of the few intellectuals in this age of specialisation to have "developed a comprehensive philosophy which speaks to the conditions of the contemporary age in a way that is compelling to specialists in the various disciplines and comprehensible to the general reader.''6 Taylor's Hegel and Hegel and Modem Socieq have helped to establish him as a "forernost authority" on ~e~elianism.'Taylor's other works include The Ex~lanationof Behaviour, his two volume collection the Philosophical Pa~ers- which includes the classic essay "Interpretation and the Sciences of Man" - as well as The Ethics of Authenticitv, Sources of the Self, and Philosophical Arguments. During his distinguished academic career, Taylor has served as a guest professor at a nurnber of North Arnencan and European universities, and f?om 1976 until 1981 he served as Chichele Professor of Social and Political Theory at Oxford University- He is a Fellow of Al1 Sods College, The Royal Society of Canada, and the British Academy. Charles Taylor has also been awarded numerous academic distinctions
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