Understanding Social Science Philosophical

In this lucid and engaging introductory volume on the nature of society, Roger Trigg examines the scientific basis of social science and shows that philosophical presuppositions are a necessary starting point for the study of society.

Roger Trigg is Professor of Philosophy at the University of Warwick. His most recent books include Rationality and Science (Blackwell, 1993), Rationality and Religion (Blackwell, 1998), the widely-read Ideas of Human Nature (second edition, Blackwell, 1999), and Philosophy Matters (Blackwell, forthcoming).

Preface to the Second Edition

viii

Acknowledgement

x

The Nature of Science

Empiricism

1

(6)

The Role of Theories

7

(6)

The Views of Kuhn and Feyerabend

13

(10)

Objectivity and the Sociology of Knowledge

The Social Character of Knowledge

23

(3)

Wittgenstein and Rules

26

(4)

The Sociology of Knowledge

30

(3)

Objectivity and Reflexivity

33

(5)

Truth and False Consciousness

38

(6)

Individuals and Society

Consciousness and Behaviour

44

(4)

The Goal of Social Science

48

(4)

Social Reality and the Individual

52

(5)

Constraints on Subjectivity

57

(7)

Understanding Other Societies

Humans as Social Beings

64

(5)

Public Practice and Private Understanding

69

(6)

Understanding Alien Practices

75

(5)

The Basis of Understanding Other Societies

80

(3)

Samoa: An Example

83

(6)

Rationality

Scientific Rationality and Ethnomethodology

89

(4)

Rationality as a Social Practice

93

(5)

`Expressive' and `Symbolic' Practices

98

(4)

Belief and Rationality

102

(3)

The Explanation of Ritual

105

(7)

Facts and Values

`Value-free' Science

112

(3)

Scientific Values

115

(4)

Objectivity in Social Science

119

(4)

The Values of Social Science

123

(3)

Ideology

126

(6)

Economics and Society

Rationality and Desires

132

(4)

Economics and Egoism

136

(6)

Private Interest and Public Goods

142

(5)

Individualism

147

(3)

Rationality and Revolution

150

(5)

Culture: Function and Adaptation

Social Function

155

(5)

The Role of Consciousness

160

(3)

Biology and Social Science

163

(3)

Human Sociobiology

166

(4)

Biology and Altruism

170

(6)

Sociobiology and Determinism

The `Leash' Principle

176

(3)

Opposition to Sociobiology

179

(4)

Determinism

183

(4)

Sociobiology and Freedom

187

(3)

Human Freedom

190

(8)

Markets and Social Institutions

Individuals and the Market

198

(3)

Religion and Rational Choice

201

(4)

The Social Context

205

(3)

The Nature of Social Institutions

208

(8)

Tradition and Reason

Tradition

216

(3)

Hermeneutics

219

(2)

The Reaction against the Enlightenment

221

(6)

A Middle Way?

227

(3)

Group Selection

230

(5)

The Philosophical Basis of Social Science

Critical Realism

235

(5)

Reason and Realism

240

(3)

Neo-positivism

243

(3)

Postmodernism

246

(3)

Conclusion

249

(5)

Glossary

254

(7)

Bibliography

261

(5)

Index

266

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Understanding Social Science Philosophical Introduction to the Social Sciences

Summary

Author Biography

Table of Contents

Supplemental Materials