The false promise of the better argument

Effective argumentation in international politics is widely conceived as a matter of persuasion. In particular, the ‘logic of arguing’ ascribes explanatory power to the ‘better argument’ and promises to illuminate the conditions of legitimate normative change. This article exposes the self-defeating implications of the Habermasian symbiosis between the normative and the empirical force of arguments. Since genuine persuasion is neither observable nor knowable, its analysis critically depends on what scholars consider to be the better argument. Seemingly, objective criteria such as universality only camouflage such moral reification. The paradoxical consequence of an explanatory concept of arguing is that moral discourse is no longer conceptualized as an open-ended process of contestation and normative change, but has recently been recast as a governance mechanism ensuring the compliance of international actors with pre-defined norms. This dilemma can be avoided through a positivist reification of valid norms, as in socialization research, or by adopting a critical and emancipatory focus on the obstacles to true persuasion. Still, both solutions remain dependent on the ‘persuasion vs. coercion’ problem that forestalls an insight into successful justificatory practices other than rational communication. The conclusion therefore pleas for a pragmatic abstention from better arguments and points to the insights to be gained from pragmatist norms research in sociology

Belief Revision in Science: Informational Economy and Paraconsistency

In the present paper, our objective is to examine the application of belief revision models to scientific rationality. We begin by considering the standard model AGM, and along the way a number of problems surface that make it seem inadequate for this specific application. After considering three different heuristics of informational economy that seem fit for science, we consider some possible adaptations for it and argue informally that, overall, some paraconsistent models seem to better satisfy these principles, following Testa (2015). These models have been worked out in formal detail by Testa, Cogniglio, & Ribeiro (2015, 2017)

Organizing as Improvisations (Methodological Temptations of Social Constructivism)

Academic communities in social sciences are still dominated byneo-positivist paradigm, but communities of practice developing socialconstructivism have started to redress paradigmatic imbalances.According to the latter man-made organizational reality is processualand saturated with sensemaking (Weick). Social constructivistssucceeded in reconstructing complex organizational disasters andcontributed to organizational innovation and change (for instance inthe wake of ICT challenges). They belong to postmodernist critics ofmodernity's failure to regulate social development and contribute to abetter understanding of organizing (e.g. implementing a new technologyor managing knowledge production) as patchworking and improvising. Inspite of discriminating practices, they survive in academiccommunities.critical theory;managerialism;improvisation;relativism;social constructivism

Cognitive Psychology in Crisis: Ameliorating the Shortcomings of Representationalism

Traditional cognitive psychology relies on concepts bordering idealism, an issue that has been known since the end of the 19th century. At best, the underlying assumptions are misleading and do not bring us closer to an understanding of human enterprise. Also, psychology in general is not a unified paradigm; its sub-disciplines rely on different conceptual bases. Ecological Psychology can change that. Getting rid of the non-sequitur “it is all in the brain” is a start and not that controversial, but, this is simply a stepping stone to a complete change in perspective. Organisms are born into an ever-changing environment, which they constantly interact with, perceive themselves in, constantly change and are changed by. An attempt is made to contrast computational and ecological assumptions about how the brain works by having participants intercept an object on a computer screen. Hypothesis is that participants will favour an ecological strategy over a computational. Results speak in favour of reliance on ecological assumptions rather than computational and also indicates that representations may not be necessary even for objects that are temporarily imperceptible

Towards a new theory of practice for community health psychology

The article sets out the value of theorizing collective action from a social science perspective that engages with the messy actuality of practice. It argues that community health psychology relies on an abstract version of Paulo Freire’s earlier writing, the Pedagogy of the Oppressed, which provides scholar-activists with a ‘map’ approach to collective action. The article revisits Freire’s later work, the Pedagogy of Hope, and argues for the importance of developing a ‘journey’ approach to collective action. Theories of practice are discussed for their value in theorizing such journeys, and in bringing maps (intentions) and journeys (actuality) closer together

: The age of Global Studies

International audienceEast Asian Studies have introduced in Human and Social Sciences a self-reflective process, which is transforming them. These disciplines learn how to criticize their presuppositions and how to reach a level of abstraction beyond National Studies. The conception of the "universal" is criticized and reconstructed. This evolution opens a different perspective on the Globalization process and leads to the emergence of Global Studies