Date: Sat, 12 Jun 1999 15:30:06 +0100 (BST)
Subject: Re: BHA: the book



> I am wondering whether such theories as the selfish gene, and the
> application of chaos theory to the money market, and theories of evolution
> being applied to entities such as the internet are what I think Bhaskar
> would class as "atomism", that is, attempting to explain complex things by
> the rules governing their smallest bits.

Hi, 

Someone more up to it could answer this.  But personally I would (also) 
see these as strategic attempts by actors positioning themselves within
their respective fields to maximinse their position and the position of
their approach or theory by such moves as disciplinary imperialism or
theory recontextualisation and importation.  i.e. either an attempt to
annex another discipline's object of study, or a search for distinction
(by introducing an approach from another field).  {This isn't saying
whether this is good or bad, but just how I would sociologically interpret
them in addition to a description of their philosophical approach). At the
present there is much biological importation within the social sciences
(such as this notion of the 'meme'.  Hmmmm).  

With best wishes,

Karl

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Karl Maton
School of Education, University of Cambridge
17 Trumpington Street, Cambridge, England  CB2 1QA
 Tel. + 44 (0) 1223 336288
 Fax: + 44 (0) 1223 332894
Email: kam13-AT-cam.ac.uk
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'Sick down to my heart ... but that's just the way it goes'



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