Date: Sat, 5 Dec 1998 22:44:28 -0700 (MST) Subject: Re: Eagleton/social sciences On Sun, 6 Dec 1998, hugh bone wrote: > > Science seems to limit itself to observing and relating entities in the > so-called "real" world. > > ...[snip] > > Ordinarily, social sciences must have empirical evidence; usually > quantifiable via questionnaires and legitimated by the assent of > [s]cientists of established competence. hmmm. I think that while the social sciences may (at some points) limit itself to "observing and relating entities in the so-called 'real' world" I don't think that it is anywhere close to "empirical" in the sense of being quantifiable. Sure, there is still a big push for objective and generalizable results, and the survey style design is far from dead. But at least in sociology there are still significant schools/journals/academic departments dedicated to symbolic interactionism, participant observation, and ethnomethodology. Of course, even psychoanalytic methods are still existant in significant (though not a majority of) areas of psychology. This depends quite heavily on interpretive analysis. I suppose it really boils down to what *you* mean by "empirical evidence," though things such as historical analysis, emotions, presentations of self, human meaning, and the like will generally fall outside of any usual definitions. Of course, they can arguably be seen as parts of the "real" world,... or way too may sociology profesors would be getting tenure for what would otherwise be philosophical work (in the common sense that is, after all, I suppose all work is philosophical). I will easily grant that there is still a process of legitemation that must occur, even if the knowledge is not "empiric" in the usual sense,... and the question as to whether or not the "social sciences" are actual sciences is still highly disputed even within the disciplines. I hope this will clarify a little bit of what goes on inside the "social science" disciplines themselves. PMK Black and White Photo Caption: Local children warmed their hands while the desert sky above Carson City, Nevada, USA, was black today with the smoke of hundreds of burning roulette wheels declared rigged by the Nevada State Gaming Commission. Meteorologists say the smoke will not affect global weather patterns. -- Douglas Coupland
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