The book explores the disconnect between social science practices and traditional scientific methodologies established by philosophers and logicians. It redefines the concept of science by focusing on the implicit norms and methods that social scientists employ in their daily research, providing a fresh perspective on how social science can be understood and validated.
Annotation A clear, critical inquiry into the norms, processes and purposes of social science work. Diesing (political science, SUNY, Buffalo) begins with a wonderfully lucid survey of philosophical approaches to social science to examine the question of how social science ought to work. He then surveys sociological, political, and psychological studies of social science to find out what actually occurs in practice. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR
The book explores the role of ideology in shaping research and analysis within the policy sciences, which encompass economics, political science, and sociology. It delves into how ideological frameworks influence the methodologies and conclusions drawn in these fields, providing insights into the interplay between belief systems and empirical inquiry. Through this examination, it aims to uncover the underlying assumptions that guide policy-related research and its implications for understanding social phenomena.
Most modern philosophers distinguish their work sharply from social science; they deal with logical truths and arguments, not empirical matters. Hegel, however, did not make this distinction; he used his dialectical method to study the structure and dynamics of his own society. In this book, Paul Diesing goes over, step by step, the dialectical method in Hegel's Philosophy of Right . Diesing then shows how the method can be applied to research on our own society.Reseach examples family relations; industrial market dynamics (including the auto, steel, computer and airline industries); the development of finance capitalism and the globalizing economy; and, most importantly, political structures and processes. Hegel's Dialectical Political Economy shows how dialectical thinking can help one do research on current society and its problems.