Pragmatism, Ontology, and Philosophy of the Social Sciences in Practice

In this article, I will discuss two prominent views on the relevance and irrelevance of ontological investigations for the social sciences, namely, ontological foundationalism and anti-ontological pragmatism. I will argue that both views are unsatisfactory. The subsequent part of the article will introduce an alternative role for ontological projects in the philosophy of the social sciences that fares better in this respect by paying attention to the ontological assumptions of actual social scientific theories, models, and related explanatory practices. I will illustrate and support this alternative through discussion of three concrete cases

Grounded research: A modified grounded theory for the business setting

The paper is about the use of grounded theory in the business setting. The paper reflects on Glaser?s extreme and persistent criticism of his grounded theory co-author, Strauss?s diversion from the pure grounded theory principles of emergence and theory generation. Grounded theory is last in line of the great, the grand and the grounded, the great being realist philosophy, the grand being scientism and sociological grand theories and the grounded representing interpretive theory grounded in respondent data. The philosophical antecedents of scientism and rational objectivism can be seen to persist in contemporary organizations. Historically, dualism of physical and metaphysical aspects of the world have allowed investigation of the concrete to flourish at the expense of the more intuitive and intangible. Sociological predicates of structural functionalism carried this into the social arena. The scientific research culture persisted due to intitutionalization. The result is that organizations come equipped with supercategories of meaning embedded in their structures systems and processes. These impact on research more than simply as contextual phenomena. They constrain emergence and produce preconceptions. This is exacerbated by the need in business research to begin with a defined business problem or issue. Whilst it is possible to conduct generative qualitative research, and to fulfil many of the requirements of symbolic interactionism, the claim to grounded theory needs to be made on a case by case basis using researcher judgement. The term grounded research is presented as an alternative to grounded theory

Addressing Kuhn’s challenge: conceptual continuity and natural kinds

Thomas Kuhn poses a fundamental worry about explaining scientific progress, which I call Kuhn’s Challenge. The Challenge consists of two related questions: (A) If the meanings of key terms change between theories on either side of a paradigm shift, how can we still say that these theories are about the same thing? (B) Even if we assume that two theories address the same subject matter, how can we determine which one is better? A popular reply to Kuhn is to adopt a semantics for natural kind terms influenced by Kripke in Naming and Necessity and Putnam in “The Meaning of ‘Meaning’”, according to which such terms rigidly refer – independently of theory changes – to the same kinds across possible worlds and through time. I argue that this approach can explain extra-theoretical conceptual continuity only if we assume that all natural kinds have the same essence type. Though Kripke and Putnam take for granted that this essence type is microstructural, I argue that in practice, many sciences postulate natural kinds with other essence types, such as historical or functional essences; and that when new discoveries are made, prompting paradigm shifts, the relevant essence type may change. Moreover, which type is relevant to which science is as much a matter of decision as of discovery. Such a claim may seem to threaten realism about natural kinds. I argue, however, that we can be both pluralists and realists, if we recognise that conceptual continuity is secured ex post. Contrary to those who have argued for similar positions, I claim that we need not give up the rigidity of natural kind terms or the global ambitions of realism. In the end I show how the framework I have developed illuminates the debate over Kripke’s argument against Physicalism in the philosophy of mind

Addressing Kuhn’s challenge: conceptual continuity and natural kinds

Thomas Kuhn poses a fundamental worry about explaining scientific progress, which I call Kuhn’s Challenge. The Challenge consists of two related questions: (A) If the meanings of key terms change between theories on either side of a paradigm shift, how can we still say that these theories are about the same thing? (B) Even if we assume that two theories address the same subject matter, how can we determine which one is better? A popular reply to Kuhn is to adopt a semantics for natural kind terms influenced by Kripke in Naming and Necessity and Putnam in “The Meaning of ‘Meaning’”, according to which such terms rigidly refer – independently of theory changes – to the same kinds across possible worlds and through time. I argue that this approach can explain extra-theoretical conceptual continuity only if we assume that all natural kinds have the same essence type. Though Kripke and Putnam take for granted that this essence type is microstructural, I argue that in practice, many sciences postulate natural kinds with other essence types, such as historical or functional essences; and that when new discoveries are made, prompting paradigm shifts, the relevant essence type may change. Moreover, which type is relevant to which science is as much a matter of decision as of discovery. Such a claim may seem to threaten realism about natural kinds. I argue, however, that we can be both pluralists and realists, if we recognise that conceptual continuity is secured ex post. Contrary to those who have argued for similar positions, I claim that we need not give up the rigidity of natural kind terms or the global ambitions of realism. In the end I show how the framework I have developed illuminates the debate over Kripke’s argument against Physicalism in the philosophy of mind

From Irritants to Satisfaction: A Model of a Theory of Meaning Applied to Reading the‘Sabbath of the LORD’ Motif In Exodus 16

The shift in biblical studies since the Age of Enlightenment from the so-called positivist (i.e. modernist) paradigm to the postpositivist (i.e. postmodern) paradigm has become a matter of (de)centralisation of meaning and interpretation. To contribute to the topic, I argue that there is a need for both a composite postpositivist theory of meaning and a model that can explain the phenomenon of the so-called vicious circle in interpretation. I propose a theory of interpretative relativity, and a model based on the telephoto effect of an actual zoom lens. According to this theory and the zoom lens model, the force which compels the interpretation is the reader’s (dis)satisfaction with his/her paradigm. Furthermore, the apparent inconsistencies within the text, as well as between the text and its background, will appear greater as the reader centralises his/her view/focus on the text (i.e. becomes cognitively closer to it). In contrast, during the process of decentralisation, the same discrepancies will appear smaller. The only way out of the vicious circle of reasoning within the reader's subjective view of the compiled text is by following textual clues about relations of dependence between that and other texts. These relations can cause the reader to discover a new paradigm which can challenge his/her current paradigm. This shift of the reader’s paradigm is seen as the only way out from the vicious circle. To develop the composite theory of meaning, I have modified the following postpositivist theories: Thomas Kuhn’s theory of paradigms, Mikhail Bakhtin’s theory of literary criticism, Dan Sperber and Deirdre Wilson’s theory of relevance. This model of interpretation is furthermore applied to reading the ‘Sabbath of the LORD’ motif in the narrative in Exodus 16. It is suggested that the research should be continued by applying this model to reading biblical texts of other genres

Theoretical analysis of the philosophy and practice of disciplined inquiry

2015 Spring.Includes bibliographical references.This dissertation theoretically examined the process of disciplined inquiry in the social sciences from its philosophical foundations to its extensions into practice. Key to conceptualization of disciplined inquiry were two regulative ideals: the commitment to the concepts that define the possibility of experience and the commitment to processes for combining the concepts of experience. The paradigm theory of Lincoln, Lynham, and Guba (e.g., Lincoln & Lynham, 2011; Lincoln, Lynham, & Guba, 2011) provided a sophisticated explanation of the possibility of experience that inquirers can commit to when engaging in disciplined inquires. Review of literature revealed an inadequacy in the state of theoretical understanding of processes for combining the concepts of experience. To develop a theoretical agenda of research for disciplined inquiry, the literature on paradigm theory and theory building was analyzed. A historical analysis of paradigm theory revealed milestones in more than 40 years of inquiry focused on conceptualization of the theory. A reverse engineering analysis theoretically examined paradigm theory and its milestones identified from the historical analysis for key features of the theoretical process. A revised conceptualization of disciplined inquiry was presented and a theoretical agenda for developing the underlying theoretical framework for the processes of combining the concepts of experience was outlined

Kabbalah and Neo-Confucianism: a comparative morphology of medieval movements

This study is a comparative analysis of the rise of Neo-Confucianism in China during the eleventh and twelfth centuries, and the emergence of the school of Kabbalah in France and Spain during the twelfth and thirteenth centuries CE. This comparison is grounded in the observation that the two schools, in spite of their obvious differences, were an outcome of separate reactions to the rising popularity of foreign paradigms. I draw a distinction between synthetic and analytic modes of operation (modalities), arguing they represent contrasting cultural paradigms characterized by divergent cognitive, social, linguistic, and cultural temperaments. I argue that both the classical Chinese and Jewish worldviews conformed to the basic characteristics of the synthetic modality, and that they entered a period of acute crisis as a result of the rising popularity of the analytic Buddhist and Greek philosophical traditions respectively. As I define it, the synthetic worldview is characterized by the affirmation of the body and this-worldly life, an emphasis on ritual and community, cultural particularism, and associative, non-analytical modes of thought. The contrasting analytic worldview stresses individualism, de-contextualization of data, other-worldliness, contemplative spirituality, and universalism. In the context of this project, I develop a methodological framework I call genetic-morphology. This methodology seeks to integrate a synchronic search for cross-cultural patterns with an emphasis on the diachronic evolution of traditions as they change and adapt to new environmental conditions. It also integrates data from diverse academic fields such as religious studies, anthropology, cross-cultural psychology, biology, and systems theory. As such this study offers a gestalt appreciation of cultural systems, their internal dynamic, the symbiotic relationship between their constituent parts, and the function of information in their operation. This dissertation concludes that Kabbalah and Neo-Confucianism can be understood as "defense theologies," or adaptive responses devised to protect their classical synthetic modes of operation from the cultural pressures of analytic paradigms. Kabbalah and Neo-Confucianism were unique in their ability to appropriate powerful features from analytic traditions and subordinate them to native synthetic sensibilities, thereby equipping the Jewish and Chinese traditions with revolutionary theologies that dismantled the challenges of foreign analytic paradigms

Religion and science embraced: how a religion actively teaches and utilizes alternative religious and scientific knowledge without conflicting interpretations arising

Religious fundamentalism is a confusing and not well understood phenomenon in present day Western societies. In order to obtain fresh insights into what social forces and conditions affect religious organizational development such that they become fundamentalist organizations, this study seeks to analyze a religious group that historically has been mandated to integrate and utilize alternative scientific and/or religious knowledge into their canon of teachings. A triangulation study consisting of a content analysis of its accepted history and a discourse analysis of its accredited membership are utilized to gather data on this religious organization to understand the historical, organizational, and external social circumstances that have allowed this religious community to engage and interact with alternative scientific and/or religious knowledge without interpretations of conflict becoming a source of social strife within their organization