Philosophy of Social Science: The Philosophical Foundations of Social Thought

271 Pages·2010·5.33 MB·English

by  Ian Craib

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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
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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
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Philosophy of Social Science
The Philosophical Foundations of
Social Thought
2nd Edition
Ted Benton
and
Ian Craib
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© 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.
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11
Printed in China
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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. Partly this is because the world of aca-
demic publishing has escalated in sheer volume to the point where any claim to
‘completeness’ must be treated with scepticism.
But also, some of the developments that have taken place more recently bear
upon topics and traditions of thought that belong to Ian’s share in the division
of labour between us. As well as being less familiar with those topics than was
Ian, I also have a somewhat different ‘take’ on the issues. So, where I comment
on some of this literature (especially in relation to Chapter 6), I have taken the
opportunity to include some thoughts of my own that open up differences
with Ian’s arguments. In fact, this was part of our original intention for the
book – Ian and I had conducted one very long discussion, often including
other colleagues and students, through the quarter-century that we worked
together. Our initial thought was that we might actually emphasize our differ-
ences in this book and continue the debate in print. In the end, the book took
the form of something closer to a conventional textbook than either of us had
intended. If this new edition takes us back in this respect to something more
like the original intentions of its authors, then the only sadness is that Ian is no
ix