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Pluralism: Research Methodology for Social Sciences International Journal of Science and Research (IJSR) ISSN: 2319-7064 Index Copernicus Value (2016): 79.57 | Impact Factor (2017): 7.296 Pluralism: Research Methodology for Social Sciences MM Jayawardena1, WAAK Amaratunga2 PhD (Colombo), MA (Peradeniya), BA Hons in Economics (Peradeniya), Dip in Psychology and Counseling (SLNIPC) and MPhil (Kelaniya),MA in Linguistics (Kelaniya), BA Hons in English (Peradeniya), Faculty of Management, Social Sciences and Humanities, General Sir John Kotelawala Defense University, Sri Lanka Abstract: Social sciences include a variety of important subjects related to human behavior, and the knowledge in social sciences matter in day to day human activities both at micro and macro levels, though it is not as precise as that of natural sciences. Partly as a result of this, knowledge construction in social sciences needs to link up with philosophical roots while addressing on appropriate methodology. Generally, the subject matter investigated in social sciences is multidisciplinary in nature because of the multiple linkages of factors of a selected social issue. In order to carry out a research on a selected topic, there is a need to address on different methodologies and methods to analyze and assess identified dimensions of the issue. Without a holistic understanding of many facets of the evolving process related to the issue and their interaction with one another, selecting an appropriate methodology and dealing with different dimensions of the problem is difficult. Therefore, a model to bridge knowledge gaps in the evolving process and their retrospective and prospective linkages with objectivism and subjectivism in relation to different paradigms, i.e. positivism, interpritivism, radical humanism and radical structuralism with a focus on pluralism, is important in identifying the scope of a social science research. As per the study, pluralism which allows for social science researchers to have an open access for exploring the appropriate research methodology, research methods and analytical tools help the researcher to conduct more productive research while addressing on deliveries towards social progress in a stable and consistent manner. Keywords: Social sciences, natural sciences, objectivism, subjectivism, positivism, interpretivism, radical humanism, radical structuralism, pluralism 1. Introduction level as well as social or totality point of view (collective conciseness). Therefore, the social science issues are The aim of this paper is to explore the philosophical philosophically rather complicated compared to hard foundation of the social science research. This exploratory sciences. In order to develop a methodology to study the study will shed light on understanding the epistemological, problems of hard sciences, the positivist method is used. It is ontological and ethnomethodological linkages of social a scientific method which can be repeatedly tested for the science issues. The paper contains an overview explanation confirmation of accuracy. Along with the time, social with respect to the evolution of the philosophical roots of scientists also wanted to analyze and make conclusions social science research. Finally, the paper presents the precisely as in the hard sciences (Bacon, 1561-1626). This linkages of pluralism as the social science research has been repeatedly tried by social scientists in the later methodology that helps in dealing with both theoretical and stages. Among them, Carl Popper (1902-1994) who empirical issues of social sciences with a focus on the social presented a complete set of methods for studying a problem progress of mankind. is significant among others. Durkheim (1858-1917) giving attention to positivist approach and its preciseness had stated 2. Philosophical Perspectives of Social Sciences that a social scientist must study social phenomena in the same state of mind as the physicist, chemist or physiologist Philosophical questions about the meaning of existence, when he probes into a still unexplored region of a scientific reality, nature of the world, knowledge etc. were issues of domain (Durkheim, 1985 p21). Karl Marx (1818-1883) in human society even in the early stages of human civilization his writing has stressed the impact of socio-economic and (e.g. The Republic by Plato – the philosophy of the Western political structures on human behavior. The writing of Lenin part of the world and Buddhist Philosophy in the Eastern (1870-1924) and Althuser (1918-1990) have mentioned that part of the world). Philosophy, on the one hand, reduces in order to understand the roots of socio-economic issues of confusions and on the other hand, it helps the mankind to a society, one has to go beyond the facts on the surface as understand the world and reality and it prepares the ground real facts are hidden and covered with misleading for the mankind to find new things for the benefit of information. Despite differences, many other philosophers in individuals as well as the humanity as a whole. Along with the later centuries have further disclosed the uniqueness of the time, two major areas of disciplines namely, natural or social science issues and their importance as soft sciences. hard sciences and social sciences have been developed with Wilhelm Dilthey (1833-1911) tried to incorporate inner distinctive philosophical differences. The hard sciences experience of human beings into the research process. Max focused on existing material phenomena whereas the social Weber (1864-1920), taking the focus to another direction, sciences focused on human behavior. The hard sciences are has tried to explain the Dilthey’s inner experience as cultural based on the experiences of the five senses whereas the impact on human behavior. Considering the complexity of social sciences are based on the experiences of five senses as social science issues, SBD Silva has mentioned the difficulty well as mind related activities/experiences at the individual of having a unique approach to social science research. He Volume 7 Issue 10, October 2018 www.ijsr.net Licensed Under Creative Commons Attribution CC BY Paper ID: ART20191974 DOI: 10.21275/ART20191974 979 International Journal of Science and Research (IJSR) ISSN: 2319-7064 Index Copernicus Value (2016): 79.57 | Impact Factor (2017): 7.296 believed that social science researchers need to go to the as the targeted objectives are concerned. On the contrary, philosophical root of the issue with a focus on the with respect to social sciences, in understanding the existing philosophical approach, and then only the researcher may behavior and the forecasted behavior, there is a need of new analyze the issue and can come out with a theoretical or methodology that has to be found while dynamism is taken empirical outcome to the issue of the study. into consideration mainly because human behavior is determined by individual and collective consciousness. Methodology to my mind is essentially a philosophical Therefore, there is a strong restriction for the use of question dealing with the classification and arrangement of positivism in explaining social reality. Unlike the “hard abstract ideas and concepts in a complex logical system. I matter reality” [3] in natural sciences, there is a difficulty in use the complex because the investigation or the analysis of identifying a social reality through contemporary theories of any problem in the social sciences is necessarily a complex social sciences. In this situation, there is a need for new …. (Silva, 1983: 38) approaches to understand and explain social reality and its movements under different social science disciplines. He has stressed on a multidisciplinary approach for both methodologies as well as the issue of social sciences that the In the process of scholarly contribution by different researcher is focused on (De Silva, 1983). In spite of the philosophers, especially after Thomas Kuhn’s Paradigm diversity of thoughts of social science scholars, Shift concept, new ideas were forwarded to produce new contemporary studies are still biased towards so-called knowledge under new assumptions that were based on scientific methods and have concentrated more on ontology, epistemology, human will and ethnomethodology. quantitative approaches and the west-oriented rationale. Here there are two major paradigms in which social science Therefore, the effectiveness of such knowledge, especially knowledge has been constructed. They are the objectivism as far as the final deliveries towards social progress is and subjectivism. Under these two paradigms, there are four concerned, has become insignificant relative to the time, sub paradigms.1.Positivism, 2.Interpretivism, and 3.Radical resources, energy, and to the number of replicated studies of humanism 4.Radical structuralism. social science research. Therefore, revisiting the philosophical base of social science research methodology 3.1. Positivism or Functionalism with a focus on inner experience and its impact on human behavior followed by human action is very important. These The positivist approach was originally presented by Bacon efforts would enlighten researchers in studying (1561-1626), and Comte (1798-1857) extended Bacon’s contemporary problems and the world drawing their idea to the social sciences. According to Comte, beliefs, attention towards tangible outcomes to modern society in the values etc. that are coming under social sciences can be new millennium. measured as facts. Therefore, under positivism, what is acceptable is only
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