To see the other types of publications on this topic, follow the link: Social sciences -> philosophy -> social.
Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Social sciences -> philosophy -> social'
Create a spot-on reference in APA, MLA, Chicago, Harvard, and other styles
Consult the top 50 dissertations / theses for your research on the topic 'Social sciences -> philosophy -> social.'
Next to every source in the list of references, there is an 'Add to bibliography' button. Press on it, and we will generate automatically the bibliographic reference to the chosen work in the citation style you need: APA, MLA, Harvard, Chicago, Vancouver, etc.
You can also download the full text of the academic publication as pdf and read online its abstract whenever available in the metadata.
Browse dissertations / theses on a wide variety of disciplines and organise your bibliography correctly.
1
Anzola, David. "The philosophy of computational social science." Thesis, University of Surrey, 2015. http://epubs.surrey.ac.uk/808102/.
Full textAbstract:
The thesis is a collection of six stand-alone chapters aimed at setting the foundations for the philosophy of computational social science. Agent-based modelling has been used for social research since the nineties. While at the beginning it was simply conceived as a methodological alternative, recently, the notion of ‘computational social science’ has started to be used to denote a separate disciplinary field. There are important differences with mainstream social science and traditional social research. Yet, the literature in the field has not accounted for these differences. Computational social science is a strongly practice-oriented field, where theoretical and philosophical concerns have been pushed into the background. This thesis presents an initial analysis of the methodology, epistemology and ontology of computational social science, by examining the following topics: 1) verification and validation and 2) modelling and theorising, 3) mechanisms 4) explanation 5) agency, action and interaction and 6) entities and process philosophy. Five general conclusions are drawn from the thesis. It is first argued that the wider ontological base in agent-based modelling allows for a new approach to traditional social dualisms, moving away from the methodological individualism that dominates computational social science. Second, the need to place a distinction between explanation and understanding and to make explanatory goals explicit is highlighted. Third, it is claimed that computational social science needs to pay attention to the social epistemology of the field, for this could provide important insights regarding values, ideologies and interests that underlie the practice of agent-based modelling. Fourth, it is suggested that a more robust theorisation regarding the experimental and model-based character of agent-based modelling should be developed. Finally, it is argued that the method can greatly contribute to the development of a processual account of social life.
2
Guibal, Francis. "Social Sciences and Political Philosophy. Eric Weil's Post-Weberian Kantianism." Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú - Departamento de Humanidades, 2013. http://repositorio.pucp.edu.pe/index/handle/123456789/113269.
Full textAbstract:
The historical success of sciences and their tendency to extendt hemselves universally to all of realityis a fact. In order to understand their sense, they should be referred to acultural (rational) project, whose presuppositions ought to be judged in accordance with a reason conceived both as practical (ethical-political) and speculative (philosophical). E. Weil's rigorous thought is here compared in all of these points with high-ranging positions: only after going through Hegelian, Marxian and Weberian positions he intends an original reappropiation of Kantian insights.<br>El éxito histórico de la(s) ciencia(s)y su extensión tendencialmente universal a toda realidad es un hecho. Comprender su sentido exige que se le refiera a un proyecto cultural (racional) cuyos supuestos han de ser juzgados conforme a una razón inseparablemente práctica (ético-política) y especulativa (filosofía). Sobre todos estos puntos, el pensamiento riguroso de E. Weil se compara y se contrasta aquí con posiciones de alto vuelo: solamente después de atravesar los planteamientos hegelianos, marxianos y weberianos, es como intenta retomar,de manera original, orientaciones kantianas.
3
Lambert, Ian J. "Realism and social science." Thesis, University of Sussex, 1987. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.278516.
Full text
4
Holmes, Peter John. "Karl Barth's social philosophy 1918-1933." Thesis, University of Glasgow, 2001. http://theses.gla.ac.uk/1294/.
Full textAbstract:
This thesis is a contribution to the contemporary reassessment of Karl Barth's social philosophy. A close reading of the English translation of the text of a series of posthumously published lectures on ethics which Barth gave in the universities of Münster and Bonn between 1929 and 1933 is the basis of the work. Previous literature includes no discussion of the lectures. The thesis argues that the lectures show the foundation of Barth's thinking both of theology as a science and of ethics as a part of dogmatics, and that his subsequent work developed these ideas. Barth's intellectual debt to Hegel is recognised by showing that he returns to the fundamental theological questions of the relationship between faith and reason, and truth and method in the form in which Hegel discussed them at the end of the nineteenth century. The thesis acknowledges the influence of Barth's helper, Charlotte von Kirschbaum, and contrary to other opinions claims that the impact of Wilhelm Herrmann's thinking on Barth remained until 1933. Although principally about material from the period 1918 to 1933, later work by Barth is included in the study to give evidence for the proposals that his ethical thinking helped shape his dogmatics, and that his later ethics show development, not stages and breaks. A discussion of criticisms of his ethics highlights the problem of choosing a method of enquiry that is appropriate to the object studied. A dialogue with two other ethical projects helps focus attention on his insistence on a proper foundation for Christian social ethics. The thesis argues that Barth's work is a theological ethic, because his social philosophy gives a method for asking appropriate questions and creates a way of considering these questions from a Christian perspective.
5
Byrne, Michael J. "An exploratory analysis of free will in the social sciences." Ashland University Ashbrook Undergraduate Theses / OhioLINK, 2011. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=auashbrook1304710552.
Full text
6
Runhardt, Rosa. "Causal inquiry in the social sciences : the promise of process tracing." Thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science (University of London), 2015. http://etheses.lse.ac.uk/3099/.
Full textAbstract:
In this thesis I investigate causal inquiry in the social sciences, drawing on examples from various disciplines and in particular from conflict studies. In a backlash against the pervasiveness of statistical methods, in the last decade certain social scientists have focused on finding the causal mechanisms behind observed correlations. To provide evidence for such mechanisms, researchers increasingly rely on ‘process tracing’, a method which attempts to give evidence for causal relations by specifying the chain of events connecting a putative cause and effect of interest. I will ask whether the causal claims process tracers make are defensible, and where they are not defensible I will ask how we can improve the method. Throughout these investigations, I show that the conclusions of process tracing (and indeed ofthe social sciences more generally) are constrained both by the causal structure ofthe social world and by social scientists’ aims and values. My central argument is this: all instances of social phenomena have causally relevant differences, which implies that any research design that requires some comparison between cases (like process tracing) is limited by how we systematize these phenomena. Moreover, such research cannot rely on stable regularities. Nevertheless, to forego causal conclusions altogether is not the right response to these limitations; by carefully outlining our epistemic assumptions we can make progress in causal inquiry. While I use philosophical theories of causation to comment on the feasibility of a social scientific method, I also do the reverse: by investigating a popular contemporary method in the social sciences, I show to what extent our philosophical theories of causation are workable in practice. Thus, this thesis is both a methodological and a philosophical work. Every chapter discusses both a fundamental philosophical position on the social sciences and a relevant case study from the social sciences.
7
鄭建生 and Kin-sang Cheng. "Social theory and gender bias." Thesis, The University of Hong Kong (Pokfulam, Hong Kong), 1993. http://hub.hku.hk/bib/B31211288.
Full text
8
Atari, W. A. "Rules, rationality and wisdom : the central themes in Winch's philosophy of the social sciences." Thesis, University of Essex, 1985. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.355387.
Full text
9
Swerhun, Bryce. "Social and natural reality : prospects for a consilient theory of nationalism." Thesis, Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2008. http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/3107.
Full textAbstract:
Thesis (MA (Political Science))--Stellenbosch University, 2008.<br>Nationalism is quite easy to understand, but somewhat difficult to explain. In
terms of understanding nationalism, we do not need to know anything more
about society and sentiment than what is taken for granted in everyday life.
An individual who ‘drops’ into a foreign culture may know absolutely nothing
about its people’s songs, rituals, amusements and traditions: why some
customs evoke tears, and others, bravado. This person would feel no sense
of collective awe or inspiration when touring historic battlefields and
monuments of an unfamiliar country. Nevertheless, he or she would likely
understand and appreciate that all of these things are steeped in meaning and
identity. These instances of meaning and identity may not be felt, shared or
even fully known, but their role as expressions of nationalism can be readily
appreciated. The global spread of nations entails an array of mutually
unfamiliar national identities, but the actual phenomenon nationalism is rarely
foreign to anyone. From an outsider’s perspective we do not know how
certain expressions are significant to a particular group, but we do understand
that they are expressions of national belonging.
Explaining nationalism is more difficult for the simple reason that experiencing
and recognizing a phenomenon is not sufficient to account for its existence.
Customs and rituals are two suggested properties of nationalism, but what is
the causal relationship between such properties and the end phenomenon
(how does custom actually lead to nationalism, if at all)? The answers to
these questions are still a matter of debate. The situation is only made worse
by the fact that most theories explaining nationalism seem to rest on a tower
of abstractions. For instance, it may seem uncontroversial for some to argue
that nationalism is an outgrowth of ethnic identity. However, this just begs the
question. What is ethnicity? The potential for regress to abstraction is a
major impediment to theory.
This thesis will examine the problem of explanation: the reasons why theories
of nationalism have struggled with explaining nationalism, and a discussion on
how to overcome these difficulties. Specifically, this thesis will show that:
1) The problem of explaining nationalism is due in part to the
‘classical’ problem found in the literature: whether nationalism is
an ‘ancient’ social phenomenon, or a ‘modern’ phenomenon
which can be dated (roughly) to the late eighteenth century.
2) Debates regarding the classical problem are closely affected by
philosophical issues in the social sciences.
3) The incorporation of a consilient methodology (i.e. a research
program that unifies theories of social science with theories of
natural science) can provide a new strategy for future theories of
nationalism and work to solve the classical problem.
10
Nicolau, Daniela. "Knowledge production and transfer in physical and life sciences." Thesis, Nicolau, Daniela (2002) Knowledge production and transfer in physical and life sciences. PhD thesis, Murdoch University, 2002. https://researchrepository.murdoch.edu.au/id/eprint/229/.
Full textAbstract:
Questions about knowledge flows between different fields of science are important from a policy perspective. This thesis focuses on knowledge transfer between physical sciences and life sciences. Science and technology are increasingly intertwined in a complex continuum. This complexity of the science and technology today asks for a concerted, articulated and comprehensive understanding of the process of science and technology. The approach that this research has taken is to analyse the process of science and technology. The thesis asks: What is the trade of science and technology? In order to answer this question we developed an anatomy of knowledge and we analysed the internal developments in science via the analysis of the role of the researchers as carriers and producers of knowledge.
Secondly the thesis asks: What are the mechanisms and directions on which scientfic knowledge migrates? This research postulates that the analysis of the process of science and technology translates to the analysis of the production and transfer of scientific and technological knowledge.
What is obvious and essential for science and technology is the difference between the specific mechanisms of knowledge production. This thesis suggests that the modem mode of knowledge production is characterized by an increasing density of communication on three levels: between science and technology - on one hand - and society on the other-; between scientific practitioners; and with the entities of the physical and social world. Central to our research is the concept of 'mode of knowledge production ' with mode 1 and mode 2 being defined by Gibbons.
The four case studies employed emphasise on how collaboration across disciplines is highly important for the production of new knowledge. The main characteristic of newly emerging fields in an increasing synergy between disciplines, which leads to several types of communication between them. With the increasing of the interdisciplinary intensity the border between the production of knowledge and the transfer of knowledge begins to be blurred. The transfer of knowledge occurs today at a more conceptual level. It follows that the production of knowledge has a large component of knowledge transfer. To study it, this thesis proposes a quasiquantitative model. In this unified framework for the knowledge transfer mechanisms, transfer is seen as a process with a number of stages and forms. We tested our framework on four case studies.
The third part of the thesis proposes a taxonomy of interdisciplinarity. and deals with the social engineering of knowledge transfer that is the design of adequate guidelines for policies aiming at maximization of knowledge transfer. In this way the thesis aims to contribute to the understanding of processes of development of new emerging scientific fields.
11
Nicolau, Daniela. "Knowledge production and transfer in physical and life sciences." Murdoch University, 2002. http://wwwlib.murdoch.edu.au/adt/browse/view/adt-MU20061122.141122.
Full textAbstract:
Questions about knowledge flows between different fields of science are important &om
a policy perspective.
This thesis focuses on knowledge transfer between physical sciences and life sciences.
Science and technology are increasingly intemvined in a complex continuum. This
complexity of the science and technology today asks for a concerted, articulated and
comprehensive understanding of the process of science and technology.
The approach that this research has taken is to analyse the process of science and
technology. The thesis asks: What is the trade of science and technologv? In order to
answer this question we developed an anatomy of knowledge and we analysed the
internal developments in science via the analysis of the role of the researchers as carriers
and producers of knowledge.
Secondly the thesis asks: What are the mechanisms and directions on which scientzjic
knowledge migrates? This research postulates that the analysis of the process of science
and technology translates to the analysis of the production and transfer of scientific and
technological knowledge.
What is obvious and essential for science and technology is the difference between the
specific mechanisms of knowledge production. This thesis suggests that the modem
mode of knowledge production is characterized by an increasing density of
communication on three levels: between science and technology - on one hand - and
society on the other-; between scientific practitioners; and with the entities of the physical and social world. Central to our research is the concept of 'mode of knowledge
production ' with mode 1 and mode 2 being defined by Gibbons.
The four case studies employed emphasise on how collaboration across disciplines is
highly important for the production of new knowledge. The main characteristic of newly
emerging fields in an increasing synergy between disciplines, which leads to several
types of communication between them.
With the increasing of the interdisciplinary intensity the border between the production of
knowledge and the transfer of knowledge begins to be blurred. The transfer of knowledge
occurs today at a more conceptual level. It follows that the production of knowledge has a
large .component of knowledge transfer. To study it, ths thesis proposes a quasiquantitative
model. In h s unified &mework for the knowledge tmnsfer mechanisms,
transfer is seen as a process with a number of stages and forms. We tested our framework
on four case studies.
The third part of the thesis proposes a taxonomy of interdsciplinarity. and deals with the
social engineering of knowledge transfer that is the design of adequate guidelines for
policies aiming at maximization of knowledge transfer. In this way the thesis aims to
contribute to the understanding of processes of development of new emerging scientific
fields.
12
Tuckett, J. D. F. "A phenomenological critique of the idea of social science." Thesis, University of Stirling, 2014. http://hdl.handle.net/1893/21785.
Full textAbstract:
Social science is in crisis. The task of social science is to study “man in situation”: to understand the world as it is for “man”. This thesis charges that this crisis consists in a failure to properly address the philosophical anthropological question “What is man?”. The various social scientific methodologies who have as their object “man” suffer rampant disagreements because they presuppose, rather than consider, what is meant by “man”. It is our intention to show that the root of the crisis is that social science can provide no formal definition of “man”. In order to understand this we propose a phenomenological analysis into the essence of social science. This phenomenological approach will give us reason to abandon the (sexist) word “man” and instead we will speak of wer: the beings which we are. That we have not used the more usual “human being” (or some equivalent) is due to the human prejudice which is one of the major constituents of this crisis we seek to analyse. This thesis is divided into two Parts: normative and evaluative. In the normative Part we will seek a clarification of both “phenomenology” and “social science”. Due to the various ways in which “phenomenology” has been invented we must secure a simipliciter definition of phenomenology as an approach to philosophical anthropology (Chapter 2). Importantly, we will show how the key instigators of the branches of phenomenology, Husserl, Scheler, Heidegger, and Sartre, were all engaged in this task. To clarify our phenomenology we will define the Phenomenological Movement according to various strictures by drawing on the work of Schutz and his notion of provinces of meaning (Chapter 3). This will then be carried forward to show how Schutz’s postulates of social science (with certain clarifications) constitute the eidetic structure of social science (Chapter 4). The eidetic structures of social science identified will prompt several challenges that will be addressed in the evaluative Part. Here we engage in an imperial argument to sort proper science from pseudo-science. The first challenge is the mistaken assumption that universities and democratic states make science possible (Chapter 5). Contra this, we argue that science is predicated on “spare time” and that much institutional “science” is not in fact science. The second challenge is the “humanist challenge”: there is no such thing as nonpractical knowledge (Chapter 6). Dealing with this will require a reconsideration of the epistemic status that science has and lead to the claim of epistemic inferiority. Having cut away pseudo-science we will be able to focus on the “social” of social science through a consideration of intersubjectivity (Chapter 7). Drawing on the above phenomenologists we will focus on how an Other is recognised as Other. Emphasising Sartre’s radical re-conception of “subject” and “object” we will argue that there can be no formal criteria for how this recognition occurs. By consequence we must begin to move away from the assumption of one life-world to various life-worlds, each constituted by different conceptions of wer.
13
Indart, Rafael T. "Karl Popper's philosophy of social science and the problem of tyranny." Thesis, National Library of Canada = Bibliothèque nationale du Canada, 1999. http://www.collectionscanada.ca/obj/s4/f2/dsk1/tape9/PQDD_0003/NQ43428.pdf.
Full text
14
Béthencourt, Julien. "Philosophie et société : esquisse d'une contribution à la définition de la fonction sociale du philosophe." Phd thesis, Université Toulouse le Mirail - Toulouse II, 2011. http://tel.archives-ouvertes.fr/tel-00674934.
Full textAbstract:
Ce travail de thèse est l'esquisse d'une contribution à la question suivante : comment faire de la philosophie aujourd'hui pour, non plus seulement interpréter le monde de différentes manières, mais aussi participer à le transformer ?Pour produire cette contribution, ce travail se propose de définir la fonction sociale de la pratique matérielle du philosophe dans les systèmes de production philosophiques, culturels et sociaux.C'est ainsi que ce travail définit avec les outils conceptuels de la théorie matérialiste historique de Marx, Engels et Althusser, et psychanalytique de Freud :- les pratiques déterminées de production discursives que le philosophe accomplit dans son système de production spécifique ;- la fonction culturelle particulière que ces pratiques ont pour les forces productives, les rapports et les systèmes de production des discours idéologiques dominants et (ou) émergeants, des discours savants des Sciences Humaines et Sociales et des Arts, Lettres et Langues, et des discours profanes ;- enfin, la fonction sociale générale de ces pratiques.
15
Lee, John R. Beckwith Francis. "Is "social justice" justice? a Thomistic argument for "social persons" as the proper subjects of the virtue of social justice /." Waco, Tex. : Baylor University, 2008. http://hdl.handle.net/2104/5242.
Full text
16
Lerner, Berel Dov. "Rules, magic, and instrumental reason : a critical interpretation of Peter Winch's philosophy of the social sciences /." London [u.a.] : Routledge, 2002. http://www.loc.gov/catdir/enhancements/fy0650/2001019766-d.html.
Full text
17
Temelini, Michael. "Seeing things differently : Wittgenstein and social and political philosophy." Thesis, McGill University, 1999. http://digitool.Library.McGill.CA:80/R/?func=dbin-jump-full&object_id=35950.
Full textAbstract:
This thesis calls into question a currently orthodox view of Ludwig Wittgenstein's post-Tractarian philosophy. This view is that the social and political implications of Wittgenstein's Philosophical Investigations are conservative and relativist. That is, Wittgenstein's concepts such as 'forms of life', 'language-games' and 'rule-following' defend and promote: a rule-determined and context-determined rationality; or an incomparable community-determined human understanding; or a neutralist, nonrevisionary, private or uncritical social and political philosophy.<br>In order to challenge and correct this conventional understanding the thesis sets up as 'objects of comparison' a variety of very different examples of the use of Wittgenstein in social and political philosophy. These uses are neither relativist nor conservative and they situate understanding and critical reflection in the practices of comparison and dialogue. The examples of this 'comparative-dialogical' Wittgensteinian approach are found in the works of three contemporary philosophers: Thomas L. Kuhn, Quentin Skinner and Charles Taylor.<br>This study employs the technique of a survey rather than undertaking a uniquely textual analysis because it is less convincing to suggest that Wittgenstein's concepts might be used in these unfamiliar ways than to show that they have been put to these unfamiliar uses. Therefore I turn not to a Wittgensteinian ideal but to examples of the 'comparative-dialogical' uses of Wittgenstein. In so doing I am following Wittgenstein's insight in section 208 of the Philosophical Investigations: "I shall teach him to use the words by means of examples and by practice. And when I do this, I do not communicate less to him than I know myself." Thus it will be in a survey of various uses and applications of Wittgenstein's concepts and techniques that I will show that I and others understand them.
18
Bercuson, Jeffrey. "Patriotism, self-respect and the limits of cosmopolitanism: the moral and political philosophy of Rousseau and Rawls." Thesis, McGill University, 2007. http://digitool.Library.McGill.CA:80/R/?func=dbin-jump-full&object_id=18422.
Full textAbstract:
In contrast to the common depiction of Rawls's political theory as atomistic, his work is instead deeply connected to some of the fundamentally republican themes of Rousseau's political and philosophical oeuvre: these themes include our natural sympathy with other persons; our innate susceptibility to the pleasures of fellow feeling; the duty of political participation, as well as the importance of civic virtue; and, perhaps most importantly, an emphasis on properly designed political institutions as a necessary source of freedom. What we shall ultimately find in both Rousseau and Rawls, then, is a repudiation of cosmopolitan values in light of their mutual recognition of the emotional impact of shared domestic institutions. Indeed, one way to account for Rawls's rather surprising resistance to a cosmopolitan scheme of global redistribution is to highlight his intellectual affinity to Rousseau, a political theorist committed to both the equality of all persons – in a political sense, at least – and to a strict brand of national self-determination.<br>Contrairement à la description populaire de la théorie politique de Rawls comme atomistique, son travail est profondément relié aux thèmes républicains de Rousseau : ces thèmes incluent notre sympathie normale avec d'autres personnes ; notre susceptibilité innée aux plaisirs du sentiment de camarade ; le devoir de la participation politique, aussi bien que l'importance de la vertu civique ; et, le plus important, une emphase sur les établissements politiques correctement conçus comme source nécessaire de liberté. Rousseau et Rawls nient des valeurs cosmopolites en raison de leur reconnaissance mutuelle de l'impact émotif de partager les établissements domestiques. En fait, nous pouvons expliquer la résistance de Rawls à un arrangement cosmopolite de la redistribution globale en accentuant son affinité intellectuelle à Rousseau, un philosophe qui croit en égalité de toutes les personnes - dans un sens politique, au moins - et à une version stricte d'autonomie nationale. fr
19
Higgins, Joe. "Being and thinking in the social world : phenomenological illuminations of social cognition and human selfhood." Thesis, University of St Andrews, 2017. http://hdl.handle.net/10023/10640.
Full textAbstract:
At least since the time of Aristotle, it has been widely accepted that “man is by nature a social animal”. We eat, sleep, talk, laugh, cry, love, fight and create in ways that integrally depend on others and the social norms that we collectively generate and maintain. Yet in spite of the widely accepted importance of human sociality in underlying our daily activities, its exact manifestation and function is consistently overlooked by many academic disciplines. Cognitive science, for example, regularly neglects the manner in which social interactions and interactively generated norms canalise and constitute our cognitive processes. Without the inescapable ubiquity of dynamic social norms, any given agent simply could not cognise as a human. In this thesis, I aim to use a range of insights – from phenomenology, social psychology, neuroscience, cultural anthropology and gender studies – to clarify the role of sociality for human life. More specifically, the thesis can be broadly separated into three parts. I begin (chapters 1 and 2) with a broad explanation of how human agents are fundamentally tied to worldly entities and other agents in a way that characterises their ontological existence. In chapters 3 and 4, I criticise two recent and much-discussed theories of social cognition – namely, we-mode cognition and participatory sense-making – for failing to make intelligible the social constitution of human existence. In the later chapters (5-7), I then propose foundations for a more satisfactory theory of social cognition, as well as explicating a view of human selfhood as ‘biosocial', such that even the autonomy of biological bodies is socially codified from a human perspective. Taken together, the aforementioned chapters should contribute to calls for a new direction in social cognitive science, whilst also yielding novel insights into the nature of human selfhood.
20
Stevens, Philip James. "Education culture and politics : the philosophy of education of Raymond Williams." Thesis, University College London (University of London), 1992. http://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/10018669/.
Full textAbstract:
As far as I have been able to discover Raymond Williams's writing on education has not been the subject of an extensive study. This is surprising since Williams's educational writings, although not presented systematically, represent a considerable contribution to thinking about education in the late twentieth century. Since Williams's death in 1988 several articles have been published dealing with specific areas of this aspect of his work (1), but although useful, these provide only the beginnings of an account of Williams's philosophy of education. Williams has been described as the 'single most masterly, original cultural thinker in Britain of the twentieth century' and his work has invoked comparisons with writers of the stature of Sartre and Habermas (2). Of the thirty or so books, hundreds of articles, and radio and television programmes Williams wrote over forty years, most contained a sustained interest in education. Raymond Williams, as Professor of Drama at the University of Cambridge, was an academic. He was also a literary critic, social and cultural analyst, novelist, playwright, and political activist. Most of all, through the medium of his writings, Williams was a teacher. The task of this thesis will be to reveal a theory of education from this substantial and varied body of writing which crossed the boundaries of 'discrete' discourses and subjects. At the heart of this theory is the claim that education and politics are inextricably linked. In the Introduction I outline the major areas of Williams's thought, link these with the development of his professional life and his influence as a teacher, and discuss the difficulties presented by Williams' notoriously complex writing style. In Chapter 1 I identify and discuss the key concept in Williams's writing in relation to education, i.e., culture. Chapter 2 is concerned to examine Williams's writing on education and to link these with the key concept outlined in Chapter 1. The principal aim of Chapter 3 is to identify the major issues which taken together form the basis of a political theory and a theory of political education in the work of Raymond Williams. Chapter 4 is a key chapter in which I attempt to 'translate' Williams's abstract and complex writing style into amore accessible form, through an analysis of his major themes relating to politics and education, i.e., solidarity, community and ecology. Chapter 5 includes a discussion of two examples of educational programmes decisively influenced by Williams's writing, i.e., Cultural Studies and Urban Studies. As a philosopher of education Williams was a generalist; that is to say, he was concerned, in the tradition of Dewey, with broad educational issues. An example of this approach would be the way in which he attempts to link education with democracy. It is in the spirit of this tradition that the thesis is written.
21
Baker, Randy. "The Concepts of Capitalism and Democracy in Implied Power Relations: Fractionation Philosophy and Theory." PDXScholar, 1993. https://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/open_access_etds/4761.
Full textAbstract:
This research proposes that it is possible to meaningfully examine the differences between subjects' perceptions of concepts at two different levels of analysis. The central theory, called "fractionation", is derived from structuration theory. The theory suggests that there is an important and particular difference between subjects' perceptions of key concepts at the value (abstract) level, as differentiated from the policy (action) level. The key concepts provided here are capitalism and democracy. Three major stages of data gathering and analysis were conducted. The first stage, carried out in several phases, surveyed 337 college students to gather words commonly associated ·with two key concepts: capitalism and democracy. These words were then used as items in a multidimensional scaling and cluster analysis. The results were used to represent the relationship between the two key concepts at the value level of analysis. The second stage consisted of gathering policy fragments from two mainstream newspapers. Television advertising was selected as the focal point of this search, to represent one area where democracy and capitalism co-exist. Fragments were taken from the newspapers and compiled into "fragment topics", or pieces of argument about the relationship between capitalism and democracy in television advertising. Stage III was carried out by surveying seventy-three subjects who were presented with the argumentative statements developed in each fragment topic. An assessment was made of the relationship between capitalism and democracy at the policy level based on the argument choices made by the subjects. Stage I resulted in a clear distinction between the two key concepts of capitalism and democracy at the value level, while Stage III resulted in a conflict between the two at the policy level. The comparison of results between the first stage of the research and the third stage represents the fractionation that was being sought.
22
Sayegh, Pascal Yan. "Nationalism as a Social Imaginary: Negotiations of Social Signification and (Dis)Integrating Discourses in Britain, France and Poland." Phd thesis, Université Jean Moulin - Lyon III, 2011. http://tel.archives-ouvertes.fr/tel-00617618.
Full textAbstract:
Depuis 1989, le nationalisme est progressivement redevenu un thème discursif majeur dans les espaces publics et politiques européens. Le nationalisme s'est alors " banalisé " (selon l'expression de Michael Billig), reléguant le complexe des histoires sociales à de simples altérités culturelles. Les tensions sociales et symboliques ainsi produites trouvent leur origine commune dans les discours nationalistes centrés autour de l'Etat et des institutions nationales. Percevant une remise en cause en présence d'altérités multiples, il apparait que le discours dominant sur les identités nationales œuvre à reproduire une continuité de valeurs et des histoires nationales traditionnelles. Cette étude transversale a pour but de présenter une analyse sociale-historique de l'endurance des imaginaires nationaux et du paradigme moderne d'exclusion qu'ils entretiennent. En élaborant un cadre théorique sous la forme d'un système ouvert (Edgar Morin) pour exprimer les relations complexes entre les textes, l'idéologie et l'imaginaire social (Cornelius Castoriadis), le but de la thèse est l'analyse de la dynamique de promotion, d'expression et de contestation symbolique - des négociations de signification sociale - des imaginaires nationaux. C'est dans ce cadre que, à travers l'étude de textes exprimant certaines de ces négociations, que sont articulées la formation et la consolidation des imaginaires nationaux britannique, français et polonais pendant la période moderne. L'analyse est ensuite centrée sur des discours de dirigeants politiques britanniques, français et polonais entre 2004 et 2009, mis en contraste par l'analyse de textes de la culture populaire contemporaine.
23
Eck, David Alexander. "The Encultured Mind: From Cognitive Science to Social Epistemology." Scholar Commons, 2015. https://scholarcommons.usf.edu/etd/5472.
Full textAbstract:
There have been monumental advances in the study of the social dimensions of knowledge in the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries. But it has been common within a wide variety of fields--including social philosophy, cognitive science, epistemology, and the philosophy of science--to approach the social dimensions of knowledge as simply another resource to be utilized or controlled. I call this view, in which other people's epistemic significance are only of instrumental value, manipulationism. I identify manipulationism, trace its manifestations in the aforementioned fields, and explain how to move beyond it. The principal strategy that I employ for moving beyond manipulationism consists of synthesizing enactivism and neo-Kuhnian social epistemology. Specifically, I expand the enactivist concept of participatory sense-making by linking it to recent conceptual innovations in social epistemology, such as the concept of immanent cogent argumentation.
24
Abrahams, Gareth. "Deleuze's philosophy and its usefulness to planning : a case study of BRE assessments." Thesis, Cardiff University, 2015. http://orca.cf.ac.uk/72369/.
Full textAbstract:
A number of established planning theorists have sought a connection between Deleuzian philosophy and planning to create new practices and tools to increase the effectiveness of [the discipline]’ (de Roo et al, 2012: 20; Hillier, 2007, 2011; Van Wezemael , 2010; Mark Purcell, 2013). This Deleuze-planning link introduces a number of unique considerations, not least because it must account for theoretical as well as practical concerns, and explore processes of analysis as well as processes of engagement. To date these efforts remain tentative, exposing such studies to Forester’s critique that most planning theorists use philosophical concepts to ‘deconstruct’ rather than ‘reconstruct’ methods of engagement (Forester, 2007). This study responds to this gap by showing how some of Deleuze’s most abstract philosophical concepts can be translated into a new, practicable assessment tool useful to actors working in development and regulatory processes. It shows what is needed to make this transition, and when such tools might usefully contribute to ‘real’ situations. This thesis explores this experimental line of enquiry through two research stages. The first stage focuses on developing a Deleuze-inspired alternative to the Building Research Establishment’s ‘universal method’ for assessing the sustainability of a given building or urban design. This proposal is constructed on the basis that all assessments should be undertaken within the design process; by those responsible for making these design decisions; and based on their speculations about what might become of the scheme. The study goes on to test the practicable viability of this proposed method, termed the ‘Speculative and Immanent Assessment Method’ (SIAM), through a series of interviews with professional actors working in design, development, assessment and regulatory roles. The results of these two research stages suggest that Deleuze’s concepts can be made useful to practice, but doing so demands that the researcher adapts, re-creates and expands Deleuze’s concepts to meet the specific, practical demands of the field.
25
Downs, Samuel David. "Levinas, Meaning, and Philosophy of Social Science: From Ethical Metaphysics to Ontology and Epistemology." BYU ScholarsArchive, 2010. https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/etd/2569.
Full textAbstract:
The current approach to science for mainstream psychology relies on the philosophical foundation of positivism that cannot account for meaning as humans experience it. Phenomenology provides an alternative scientific approach in which meaning is constituted by acting toward objects in the world that is more consistent with how humans experience meaning. Immanuel Levinas argues that the phenomenological approach, while more consistent with human experience, does not provide a grounding for meaning. Rather, Levinas argues that meaning is grounded in the ethical encounter with the Other, or other person, such that meaning is given by the Other in rupture. For Levinas, the physical world, or elemental, and the I provide constraints for the meaning given by the Other but the Other is logically prior to all other experience. This alternative to the mainstream scientific approach in psychology of positivism has implications for the epistemology, methodology, and scientific community of psychology. The Levinasian perspective advocates an epistemology that is open to the rupture of the Other as a way to provide new knowledge. This emphasis on openness to rupture produces a methodology in which the scientist must allow object of study to influence the method used in research. Finally, the Levinasian perspective implies a scientific community that is sensitive to the rupture occasioned by the encounter with the Other.
26
Kabisa, Bular Pawen Jean-Baptiste. "L'idée weilienne de l'état mondial: un procès de légitimation d'un ordre social supranational." Doctoral thesis, Universite Libre de Bruxelles, 1997. http://hdl.handle.net/2013/ULB-DIPOT:oai:dipot.ulb.ac.be:2013/212123.
Full text
27
Charak, Gregory Scott. "Between soul and precision Ernst Mach's biological empiricism and the social democratic philosophy of science /." Diss., Connect to a 24 p. preview or request complete full text in PDF format. Access restricted to UC campuses, 2007. http://wwwlib.umi.com/cr/ucsd/fullcit?p3274584.
Full textAbstract:
Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of California, San Diego, 2007.<br>Title from first page of PDF file (viewed October 2, 2007). Available via ProQuest Digital Dissertations. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (p. 338-345).
28
Hoseason, Alexander. "Between philosophy and social science : the problem of harm in Critical Theory and International Studies." Thesis, Aberystwyth University, 2015. http://hdl.handle.net/2160/2b91f004-8eb7-4f29-b1b3-960669d29119.
Full textAbstract:
In varying ways, scholars working in the discipline of International Studies have found themselves, often implicitly, wrestling with the question of what should and should not count as harm and the implications of this for wider social life. Core to this tension is the way in which the discipline can be understood as lying between the explanatory concerns of a social science and a normative endeavour concerned with the reduction or mitigation of avoidable harm. This thesis argues that this tension results in an understanding of the problem of harm as a particular problem-field defined by a set of questions that motivate various aspects of theoretical activity. However, it attempts to address the problem of harm as a whole through the lens of Frankfurt School Critical Theory. In doing so, it aims to draw out the implications of the problem of harm for the discipline of International Studies and social science more broadly. The importance accorded to the problem of harm in Critical Theory is the source of considerable problems for an understanding of how social science might operate due to the way that normative concern serves to overwhelm attempts at explanation. This thesis considers Linklater?s sociology of harm conventions a way of rebalancing this equation such that some practical conclusions may be drawn. However, the theoretical underpinnings of this project in the process sociology of Norbert Elias serve to preclude sufficient engagement with normative questions. A reconstruction of the sociology of harm conventions through the ontology of critical realism serves to resituate the production of sociological knowledge with regard to normative concern, and re-theorise the link between them. Following this reconstruction it becomes possible, through Critical Theory, to address the kind of theory that is needed in order to interrogate the problem of harm in International Studies.
29
Agar, Joly. "The philosophy of critical realism and Marxism : an introduction." Thesis, Queen's University Belfast, 2002. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.269164.
Full text
30
Wright, Jack. "Pluralism and social epistemology in economics." Thesis, University of Cambridge, 2019. https://www.repository.cam.ac.uk/handle/1810/290423.
Full textAbstract:
Economics plays a significant role in decision-making in contemporary western societies, but its role is increasingly questioned. A recurring topic among the challenges raised by critics is that economics as a discipline lacks sufficient pluralism. That is, it fails to enable, encourage, and respect the use of different ontologies, methodologies, theories, and/or schools of thought to study economic reality. Has this been a productive critique? Does talk about pluralism help identify genuine problems in the discipline? Pluralism in economics could draw support from the current consensus in philosophy that pluralism in science is a good thing. I argue, however, that the claim that economic research is insufficiently pluralist is unlikely to convince economists who believe economics is already pluralist enough and that it does not offer unambiguous recommendations for change. This is because there are too many legitimate ways to interpret how pluralism maps to practice. There are numerous variables that pluralist ideals might focus on-the things that they seek multiple rather than one of-and different interpretations of how many of those variables economics has in practice. Yet, as I go on to argue, this does not mean that talk of pluralism is entirely beside the point, since the reasons pluralists offer for their ideals do help to identify genuine problems in economics. The social epistemic strategies that arguments for pluralism recommend point us to three concrete issues in the way economic research is organised: gender imbalances, a steep internal hierarchy, and a dismissive attitude to outsiders. I show that economic research could be more progressive, representative of the interests of those in society, accepted, and legitimate and less likely to fall into bias if the discipline alleviated its gender imbalances, if it were less hierarchical, and if it had a healthier relationship with outsiders. In chapter 1, I outline the debate about pluralism in economics and explain how my thesis utilises a novel approach to social epistemology to offer a way out of the impasse in which that the debate presently resides. In chapter 2, I explain the different philosophical arguments for pluralism in science and categorise them using the variables they focus on and the reasons they give for pluralism. In chapter 3, I argue that interpreting pluralism as a particular arrangement of variables for economics to attain does not lead to unambiguous recommendations for change because it leaves too much open. Yet, I go on to argue, in chapter 4, that drawing on the reasons for pluralism can provide a set of heuristics for piecemeal evaluations of the social epistemic practices in economics. In chapters 5, 6, and 7, I apply these heuristics to economics. I provide evidence that [a] women are outnumbered in economics and face an adverse environment in the discipline, that [b] economics is steeply hierarchical, and that [c] economists form an in-group that assumes superiority and frequently dismisses outside voices. I argue that these three features of economic research block avenues for productive forms of feedback (mechanisms that help to challenge, justify, and refine scientific knowledge), block the interests of certain perspectives being heard, and block public scrutiny of the decisions made by economists.
31
Eastes, Richard. "Processus d'apprentissage, savoirs complexes et traitement de l'information : un modèle théorique à l'usage des praticiens, entre sciences cognitives, didactique et philosophie des sciences." Phd thesis, Université Panthéon-Sorbonne - Paris I, 2013. http://tel.archives-ouvertes.fr/tel-00904561.
Full textAbstract:
Cherchant à établir un pont théorique et pratique entre les sciences de l'éducation, les sciences cognitives et la philosophie des sciences, la thèse développe un modèle didactique à l'interface entre ces disciplines : le modèle allostérique de l'apprendre initié et développé par Giordan (1988) et al. (1992), qui s'inscrit dans le paradigme des théories du changement conceptuel. Nourri par les travaux récents des psychologues cognitifs sur les processus d'apprentissage tels que les théories du recyclage neuronal (Dehaene, 2007) ou de l'inhibition cérébrale (Houdé & Tzourio-Mazoyer, 2003), ainsi que sur diverses théories relatives à l'élaboration de la pensée telles que l'économie comportementale (Tversky & Kahnernan, 1982) ou le modèle-cadre SRK (Rasmussen, 1990), ce modèle développe et précise le concept d'allostérie à travers la description et la formalisation des processus de déconstruction-reconstruction des conceptions, qui ont lieu lors des apprentissages complexes. De la phase de théorisation du modèle, effectuée par un recours aux formalismes de la réactivité chimique en accord avec la métaphore initiale de l'allostérie, il est possible de déduire divers environnements didactiques opératoires et féconds pour le praticien de l'enseignement et de la médiation scientifiques. Ces prévisions théoriques sont alors mises à l'épreuve de l'expérimentation didactique à travers une recherche de terrain centrée sur la notion d'expérience contre-intuitive (Eastes & Pellaud, 2004) menée auprès de différents types de publics.
32
Isaac, Walter. "Beyond Ontological Jewishness: A Philosophical Reflection on the Study of African American Jews and the Social Problems of the Jewish and Human Sciences." Diss., Temple University Libraries, 2011. http://cdm16002.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/p245801coll10/id/197310.
Full textAbstract:
Religion<br>Ph.D.<br>The present dissertation is a case study in applied phenomenology, specifically the postcolonial phenomenology of racism theorized by Lewis Gordon and applied to scholarly studies conducted on African American Jews and their kinfolk. My thesis is the following: Presumptively ontological human natures cannot function axiomatically for humanistic research on African American Jews. A humanistic science of Africana Jews must foreground the lived social worlds that permit such Jews to appear as ordinary expressions of humanity. The basic premise here is that subaltern (or denied) humanity exists in a neocolonial social world by virtue of an ordinariness that supervenes on humanity. For example, the more historians consider Africana Jews as ordinary, the more Africana Jews' humanity will appear. And the more human Africana Jews appear, the more inhuman their extraordinary appearance appears. This symbiosis constitutes a basic existential condition. When research on Africana Jews ignores this condition, it succumbs to ontological Jewishnness and other concepts rooted in what postcolonial theorist Frantz Fanon calls the "colonial natural attitude."<br>Temple University--Theses
33
Kley, Roland. "Political philosophy and social theory : a critique of F.A. Hayek's justification of liberalism." Thesis, St. Gallen : [s.n.], 1990. http://aleph.unisg.ch/hsgscan/hm00190430.pdf.
Full text
34
Melonas, Alexander Paul. "Situated Animals: A Critique of Social Constructivist Excesses in Political Theory." Diss., Temple University Libraries, 2015. http://cdm16002.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/p245801coll10/id/321722.
Full textAbstract:
Political Science<br>Ph.D.<br>In this dissertation I explore the ramifications of political theory being freed from two opposed extremes of biologism and social constructivism because, ultimately, the human animal is both a biological creature and capable of becoming. While it has been highly significant for humanistic scholars to challenge the governing authority of the "hard sciences" as the prime site of legitimacy in modern scholarship, the position of critique has transformed into one of outright and unqualified hostility. I resist this commitment to show that work at the intersection of the human biological sciences and political theory need not amount to political conservatism or pessimism. To this end, I address two questions with the aim of (re-)situating the human animal as a common property in political theory. First, I explore and challenge the commitments that inform the strict social constructionist thesis. This move leads to a second consideration: what questions are open if we see the problem not as biology, but as biological determinism? I make four arguments in this dissertation. First, I use Ernst Cassirer to show that "human" and "animal" can be integrated in a philosophical anthropology in a constructive way, one that avoids the reductionism implied in the term "animal" (or biological creature) and the naiveté of conceiving of human beings as though they are distinct from or wholly independent of nature. Second, I use Marxist materialism to integrate the human biological sciences with a meaningful theory of human freedom. Third, I work at the intersection of contemporary political theories of identity and the human biological sciences to reconcile the effects of "predispositions" with the effects of our social identities. I do so in a way that resists essentialism. Finally, I use feminist scholarship to argue that the human biological sciences cannot be used to justify hierarchy, or rather, that "hard science" doesn't in any meaningful sense say anything at all about equality.<br>Temple University--Theses
35
Munro, William George. "The actuarial subject : legitimacy and social control in late modernity." Thesis, University of Stirling, 2009. http://hdl.handle.net/1893/2244.
Full textAbstract:
The following thesis can be read as a socio-historical case study of the emergence of risk discourses within the Scottish Criminal Justice System, particularly in relation to offenders who are defined by their dangerousness. It focuses on the emergence of the Risk Management Authority (RMA) which was set up under recommendation of the MacLean Committee in 2000. The thesis examines the broader social and cultural forces from which the Risk Management Authority emerged by drawing on Hegel’s notion of ‘Ethical Life’ (Sittlichkeit) as a means of framing institutional change. By way of a re-interpretation of Hegel, through the lens of critical theory, it seeks to historicise and make problematic the concepts and assumptions surrounding our understanding of modernity. Through the concepts of reflexivity, legitimacy and indeterminacy it offers a critique of the existing sociology of risk, which places risk at the centre of debates on modernity, contingency and the self-understanding of society. This critique offers a conceptualisation of penal institutions as not just administering punishment, but as instrumental in the constitution of human subjectivity.
36
Wardle, Jeffrey William. "A community of (imperfect) benevolent archangels : a philosophical approach to moral education and an educational approach to moral philosophy." Thesis, University College London (University of London), 1994. http://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/10021518/.
Full textAbstract:
This thesis is about moral philosophy, moral education, and the relationship which one has to the other. I argue for a particular moral philosophy and derive from that a view of moral education. But I also argue that the relationship between the two is of a special nature and differs from the relationship which might exist between philosophy and education in general or between, say, the philosophy of mathematics and education in mathematics. The moral theory I offer incorporates a view of moral thinking which is, in many respects, similar to that given by Hare. However, the thesis includes an extended criticism of Hare's form of utilitarianism and, especially, of his rationalist justification for the form of moral thinking which he recommends. The criticism of Hare's theory, and of his approach, forms the background against which I recommend a fundamental modification of utilitarian moral theory. Although the theory offered yields a utilitarian view of right action, it is a nonconsequentialist theory which is based upon a notion of an ideal agent. The theory is founded upon a notion of the benevolent archangel as universal ideal. The moral theory is offered as a perspective upon those moral views which we share. That perspective is recommended as one which can elucidate, underpin and inspire those moral views. The form of moral education which is derived from that theory focusses centrally upon the development of the virtues of benevolence, nonmalevolence, understanding and humility.
37
Gonzalez, Cristina. "Transnational publicity in theory and practice| The world social forum between deliberation and agonism." Thesis, The New School, 2015. http://pqdtopen.proquest.com/#viewpdf?dispub=3707637.
Full textAbstract:
<p> The emergence of transnational practices of publicity challenges the established political theories of democracy, which presuppose a national citizenry and a national democratic state. The subjects of transnational public spheres lack a common citizenship status to develop legitimate public opinion, as well as corresponding decision-making institutions to address their demands. However, by creating solidarity, building legitimate public opinion and communicating their demands on the base of alternative premises, transnational public spheres defy Westphalian assumptions. The World Social Forum serves as a paradigmatic case: while it develops new types of solidarity "among strangers" through horizontal debate and articulation, it unfolds antagonistic forms of communication with global neoliberal institutions of power. </p><p> This dissertation aims to contribute to the debate on the critical function of the notion of publicity in the context of globalization. Drawing on Habermas's theory of deliberative democracy and Mouffe's democratic theory of "agonistic pluralism," I examine the World Social Forum's forms of communication, creation of solidarity and legitimation of alternative discourses. Agonistic and deliberative theories of democracy have been traditionally regarded as antithetical, since the former stress conflict and dissent, while the latter emphasize dialogue and consensus. However, the analysis of political experiences like the World Social Forum not only shows that both perspectives are not fully incompatible, but also that they are both necessary to grasp the complexity of actual transnational publicity. In particular, I argue that the combination of these theories reveals one of the main characteristics of the WSF: the merging of antagonistic and consensual practices of communication.</p>
38
Fondu, Guillaume. "Une science sociale en contexte : usages allemands, russes et soviétiques de la critique de l'économie politique." Thesis, Rennes 1, 2019. http://www.theses.fr/2019REN1S104.
Full textAbstract:
Prenant pour point de départ la difficulté à rendre compte de la spécificité du marxisme et de sa critique de l'économie politique, on fait l'hypothèse que cette spécificité doit être cherchée en premier lieu non pas dans ses thèses ni même dans son épistémologie mais dans le rôle qu'elle assigne à la théorie critique. Ce rôle s'accompagne d'une énonciation spécifique où l'objet du discours est en même temps son destinataire potentiel. Cette ambiguïté énonciative est porteuse d'une tension que l'on étudie dans trois contextes particuliers : la première réception allemande des idées marxiennes, marquée par l'existence et le développement d'une institution politique forte, le SPD ; la réception russe de ces mêmes idées, marquée au contraire par l'inexistence d'une telle institution et, partant, l'insistance sur le rôle organisationnel de la pratique théorique ; les premières années du régime soviétique, enfin, où le marxisme se voit assigné de toutes nouvelles tâches et où les exigences gestionnaires donnent une nouvelle forme à l'idée de critique. Ce survol historique nous sert à spécifier les différentes modalités de l'inscription du discours marxiste dans un présent qu'il tâche de comprendre mais également de modifier en s'adressant à ses contemporains<br>We start our work with the obvious difficulty of understanding specificity of Marxism and critique of political economy. We then assume that we have to search this specificity not in particular thesis, method or epistemology but in the task Marxism assigns to critical theory. This task is combined with a particular kind of enunciation, because the objects of Marxist discourse are at the same time a potential receiver. Such an ambiguous kind of enunciation goes hand in hand with a political tension, which we consider in three historical situations : the first reception of Marxian ideas, in a context where a big political institution – the SPD – emerges and expands ; the Russian reception of those ideas in a situation where, on the contrary, such an institution doesn't exist and where the Marxists have to insist on the organizational taskl ; finally, the first ten years of the soviet regime, when history assigns to Marxism completely new tasks : management requirements shape a new kind of critique. Considering those historical situations, we aim to extract and understand several ways the Marxism tries to solve contradiction between thinking and changing the world
39
Kniess, Johannes. "Justice in health : social and global." Thesis, University of Oxford, 2017. https://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:c1b36ded-85da-4888-91ce-83c164252f93.
Full textAbstract:
Within and across all societies, some people live longer and healthier lives than others. Although many of us intuitively think of health as a very important good, general theories of justice have hitherto paid little attention to its distribution. This is a thesis about what we owe to one another, as a matter of justice, in view of our unequal levels of health. The first part of the thesis addresses the problem of social justice in health. I argue that the basic institutional framework of society must be arranged so as to ensure an egalitarian distribution of the 'social bases of health,' that is, the socioeconomic conditions that shape our opportunities for a healthy life. Inequalities in health, including those caused by differences in individual lifestyles, are only fair when people have been given fair opportunities. This egalitarian approach to the social bases of health must be complemented by a sufficientarian concern for meeting all basic health needs, regardless of whether these originate in unfair social arrangements. The second part of the thesis takes up the problem of global justice in health. Although I argue against the idea that domestic principles of justice can be simply replicated on a global scale, I emphasise the fact that there are a number of international institutions and practices that shape people's opportunities for health. One of these is the state system - the division of the world into sovereign states - which I argue grounds the idea of the human right to health. I also examine two more specific examples of global practices that contribute to global inequalities in health, namely global trade in tobacco and the global labour market for healthcare workers. Both of these, I suggest, must be restricted in light of their impact on health levels worldwide.
40
Lane, Charles Dennison. "People's war and the United States in southeast Asia: a study in social philosophy." Thesis, The University of Hong Kong (Pokfulam, Hong Kong), 1994. http://hub.hku.hk/bib/B31233648.
Full text
41
Wagner, Claire. "Placing psychology a critical exploration of research methodology curricula in the social sciences /." Thesis, Pretoria : [s.n.], 2003. http://upetd.up.ac.za/thesis/available/etd-06292004-123737.
Full text
42
Harker, David. "Creating Scientific Controversies: Uncertainty and Bias in Science and Society." Digital Commons @ East Tennessee State University, 2015. http://amzn.com/1107692369.
Full textAbstract:
For decades, cigarette companies helped to promote the impression that there was no scientific consensus concerning the safety of their product. The appearance of controversy, however, was misleading, designed to confuse the public and to protect industry interests. Created scientific controversies emerge when expert communities are in broad agreement but the public perception is one of profound scientific uncertainty and doubt. In the first book-length analysis of the concept of a created scientific controversy, David Harker explores issues including climate change, Creation science, the anti-vaccine movement and genetically modified crops. Drawing on work in cognitive psychology, social epistemology, critical thinking and philosophy of science, he shows readers how to better understand, evaluate, and respond to the appearance of scientific controversy. His book will be a valuable resource for students of philosophy of science, environmental and health sciences, and social and natural sciences.<br>https://dc.etsu.edu/etsu_books/1017/thumbnail.jpg
43
Sylvand, Benjamin. "Concept et changement de concept : Concept, contenu et inférence, Bases pour une approche dynamique du concept." Phd thesis, Université Paris-Sorbonne - Paris IV, 2005. http://tel.archives-ouvertes.fr/ijn_00000655.
Full textAbstract:
Le concept est l'entité mentale qui permet à un agent cognitif qui la possède de penser son environnement. Le concept se caractérise par deux dimensions : d'une part son application (les objets auxquels il réfère) et son usage d'autre part (les relations qu'il entretient avec les autres états mentaux). Les théories contemporaines du concept ne parviennent pas à rendre compte de ces deux aspects. Cela vient de l'assimilation de la théorie des concepts avec une théorie de la classification et d'une distinction floue entre le conceptuel et le nonconceptuel. Le concept est considéré ici comme étant représentationnel alors que le nonconceptuel ne l'est pas. Représentationnel signifie ici que le concept peut être changé ou corrigé alors que le nonconceptuel (le percept) ne l'est pas. La théorie du concept défendue ici est normative dans la mesure où des principes sont énoncés pour caractériser le concept. L'agent possède un concept s'il est capable de postuler une assignation à celui-ci. Et ce à la fois en première personne (contenu cognitive) et en troisième personne (contenu canonique). Cela suppose une théorie de l'esprit et un accès au contenu du concept (aspect épistémique). L'agent doit également pouvoir rendre compte de l'usage qu'il fait du concept, et ce non seulement pour lui (dérivation cognitive) mais aussi en troisième personne (dérivation canonique). Le holisme qui découle de cette conception implique que le concept apparaît toujours dans une « conception », c'est-à-dire comme inférentiellement relié à d'autres concepts. Cette théorie du concept permet de rendre compte du changement et de l'évolution d'un concept plutôt que son remplacement systématique.
44
Gregg, C. R. "It's Not So Simple: The Role of Simplicity in Science and Theory." Digital Commons @ East Tennessee State University, 2013. https://dc.etsu.edu/honors/97.
Full textAbstract:
The principle of simplicity (parsimony) has long been invoked as a regulative principle that helps guide theory selection in science. However, it is unclear if there is justification for a globally applicable criterion of parsimony. This paper briefly reviews the salient features of what it means for something to be simple, as well as argues for simplicity as relevant only to a set of background assumptions.
45
Siegel, Bradley Charles. "Elementary teachers' conceptions of listening." Thesis, Teachers College, Columbia University, 2015. http://pqdtopen.proquest.com/#viewpdf?dispub=3704530.
Full textAbstract:
<p>This research study investigated five elementary teachers' conceptions of listening positioned across a complex and diverse state of dialogue. Social studies educational researchers have promoted democratic discourse in various studies aimed at preparing teachers to cultivate active student citizenship. The absence of careful attention to the multifaceted dimensions of listening is a notable gap in current extant research related to classroom discussion. Educational philosophers, alternatively, have argued for the moral and intellectual virtues of listening on equal grounds to its dialogic counterpart: speaking. I synthesized writing from various fields and categorized listening into two broad domains: thin and thick listening. Thin listening, widely conceptualized in education, is further characterized as obedient and attentive listening. Deeper notions of thick listening fall into the subcategories of democratic, relational, and pedagogical listening.
Hermeneutic phenomenology is the research methodology guiding the methods and interpretative analyses undertaken in this study. Applying principles from phenomenologist Max van Manen, I framed interview questions for teachers to reflect on the nature of listening in their classroom and everyday experiences. I read and listened to the interview transcripts and recordings numerous times with openness and wonder, yet with an understanding that interpretation is never free from judgment or situated perspective.
Findings revealed elementary teachers conceptualized listening under thicker terms when engaging in reflective analysis, although thin listening ideas remained present at times in their thinking about students, the classroom, and dialogue. This study arranged thick listening findings into four broad themes: a) listening to specific students activating new ideas about listening, b) the dynamic relationship between listening and being listened to, c) the connection between speaking, thinking, and listening (interlistening), and d) disturbed notions listening. The conceptions teachers disclosed are significant to elementary educators and researchers in social studies teacher education because thin notions prevail unchallenged, thus rendering an unbalanced and incomplete view of classroom dialogue. Inquiry into the nature and process of listening can inform future studies related to common classroom discussion frameworks, such as Structured Academic Controversies (SACs), that social studies researchers value in civic education.
46
Cooper, E. "The nature of scaffolding interaction : mother and child contribution across time and culture." Thesis, Canterbury Christ Church University, 2018. http://create.canterbury.ac.uk/17883/.
Full textAbstract:
Children's learning within the home can be characterised by variety in the cognitive, behavioural and affective contributions of both mother and child, as well as by the wider environmental influences on family functioning. The concept of scaffolding may be useful for understanding home learning processes and provide a framework for new knowledge in order to develop a better understanding of what is required for successful learning at home. The research has three main aims based on an adaptation of the Process-Person- Context-Time (PPCT) model of development (Bronfenbrenner & Morris, 2006). The first aim was to investigate the role of the child's behaviour during scaffolding interactions, test the inter-relationship between the child's and mother's behaviours and to identify how variations in these behaviours impact mutual intersubjectivity. The second aim was to examine how person characteristics of the mother and child, along with the home environment, contribute to the process of scaffolding across time. The third aim was to conduct a preliminary study in Russia and to test cross-cultural patterns and their determinants between UK and Russian families. A longitudinal cross-cultural design has been adopted with two-time point measurements in England, approximately seven months apart, and cross-sectional design in Russia. Using non-probability sampling methodology, 68 dyads (children, four - five years old) were recruited for the English sample and 16 dyads took part in the Russian study. The research used cross-informant methodology to collect data during home visits and through observation of scaffolding interactions during simple problem-solving tasks. The results contribute to the base of existing knowledge with a number of findings: 1) the scaffolding process is bidirectional with unique contributions from mother and child; 2) intersubjectivity within the dyad is important in understanding scaffolding interactions across time; 3) individual differences in maternal emotional and social abilities, but not parenting aspects, predict maternal scaffolding behaviour; 4) child's cognitive and emotional abilities explained their behaviour later in time; 5) number of siblings played an important role in the mother's and child's behaviour, while household chaos was not significant; 6) the cultural context plays a unique role in shaping scaffolding practices within families.
47
Hamilton, Richard Paul. "What we talk about when we talk about love : an essay in the philosophy of social science." Thesis, Birkbeck (University of London), 2004. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.408394.
Full textAbstract:
This thesis is a discussion of erotic love considered as a problem in the explanation of social action. Its primary focus is on attempts to create a general social scientific theory of love. I detect a tendency in theoretical discussions of love that see their task as one of providing an account of what love really means. I argue that such projects persistently misconstrue the nature of our talk about love by failing to see that love is a contested nonnative concept and that saying what love really means itself forms part of our moral disagreements. I discuss several current philosophical attempts to define love before moving on to a discussion of Descartes' Passions of the Soul. I suggest that Descartes' theory highlights the problems of attempting to fonnulate a self-consciously scientific theory of love but also that his ultimate recognition of limitations of mechanistic science offers the possibility of a non-reductive naturalism. I then proceed to discuss a currently fashionable attempt to explain love in reductive tenns in the fonn of evolutionary psychology. I locate evolutionary psychology within the individualist utilitarian tradition described by Talcott Parsons and suggest that it confronts ali the problems Parsons highlights in this tradition. More specifically, it has difficulties explaining the routine co-operation associated with love. I attempt to show how none of the versions of evolutionary psychology currently on offer deal with this problem effectively and that the only one which comes close, does so by breaking with key evolutionary psychological commitments. I conclude that evolutionary psychology cannot explain love since it cannot provide a robust account of nonnativity while maintaining its persistent individualism. In the concluding section, I discuss a group of approaches to the emotions which seem to take the normativity of love seriously. These are social constructionist theories. I distinguish between a defensible, mnemonic constructionism and an untenable ironic variety which denies the reality of everyday experience of human loving. I conclude that the best way to see love is as a matter of practical reason in the context of a contested moral form of life and discuss the relationship between love and virtue.
48
Nash, Hassan Khalid. "POLITICAL EVOLUTION:A Theory on the Phenomenon of Political Change in a Social Construct." Ohio University Art and Sciences Honors Theses / OhioLINK, 2017. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ouashonors1493399185427214.
Full text
49
Drabek, Matthew Louis. "A phenomenological account of practices." Diss., University of Iowa, 2012. https://ir.uiowa.edu/etd/2861.
Full textAbstract:
Appeals to practices are common the humanities and social sciences. They hold the potential to explain interesting or compelling similarities, insofar as similarities are distributed within a community or group. Why is it that people who fall under the same category, whether men, women, Americans, baseball players, Buddhists, feminists, white people, or others, have interesting similarities, such as similar beliefs, actions, thoughts, foibles, and failings? One attractive answer is that they engage in the same practices. They do the same things, perhaps as a result of doing things at the same site or setting, or perhaps as a result of being raised in a similar way among members of the same group. In the humanities, appeals to practices often serve as a move to point out diversity among different communities or diversity within the same community. Communities are distinct from one another in part because their members do different things or do things in different ways. The distinct and varied ways in which different communities enact social norms or formulate law, state institutions, and public policy might be explicable in part by the different practices their members are socialized into. Appeals to practices hold the promise of explaining these differences in terms of the different background practices of the groups, cultivated through a kind of cultural isolation or sense of collective identity. In the social sciences, appeals to practices have played a central role in fundamental theorizing and theory building. Appeals to practices in the social sciences are often much more systematic and theoretical, forming the core of the systematic theories of Pierre Bourdieu and Anthony Giddens in Anthropology and Sociology. Practice theory has thus become a growth industry in social scientific investigation, offering the promise of a central object of investigation that explains both unity and difference within and across communities and groups. But it is unclear just what practices are and what role, both ontological and explanatory, that practices are supposed to play. The term `practices' is used to pick out a wide range of things, and its relation to other terms, from `tradition' or `paradigm' to `framework' or `presupposition', is unclear. Practices are posited as ubiquitous, yet they are difficult to isolate and pin down. We are all said to participate in them, but they remain hidden. Their role, whether causal, logical, or hermeneutical, remains mysterious. After locating the historical origins of appeals to practices in the work of Ludwig Wittgenstein and Martin Heidegger, my dissertation uses Stephen Turner's broad and systematic critique of appeals to practices to develop a new type of account. My account is a phenomenological account that treats practices as human doings that show up to people in material and social environments and make themselves available for specific responses in those environments. I argue that a phenomenological account is an effective alternative to accounts that treat practices as either shared objects with properties or shared and implicit presuppositions. I use a phenomenological account of practices to treat important debates in feminist philosophy and the philosophy of the social sciences, particularly debates over pornography's subordination of women and the classification of mental disorders in psychiatry.
50
Shaw, Ryan A. "Social Organization and Decision Making In North American Bison: Implications For Management." DigitalCommons@USU, 2012. https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/etd/1204.
Full textAbstract:
Social organization varies widely among herbivores, and the level of social organization in bison is widely debated. I hypothesized that when mother-daughter relationships are allowed to develop, bison form long-term associations. In my study, 25 treatment mothers were selected from a free-ranging herd and kept together with their calves, while 25 control females had their calves forcefully removed. Treatment mothers and offspring had by far the greatest number of associations with a greater percentage of individuals with a half weight index (HWI) > 0.50. The strongest associations (HWI > 0.31) were among treatment mothers and their offspring. Moreover, these associations persisted over multiple generations. Group coordination requires group decisions and these can vary between extremes. I hypothesized bison utilized both democratic and despotic decisions. I examined movement initiation and direction decisions following rest periods. For direction decisions older cows repeatedly made decisions despotically for the group; in 93% of the choices, group directions were within 95% confidence intervals. For movement initiation, bison used a more democratic decision-making process; group movements did not begin until an average of 47% of adult cows exited the group. Interestingly, the oldest females led this final post-rest movement behavior in 81% of the decisions. Presumably, living in properly functioning social groups has many benefits, including reduced stress. I hypothesized levels of stress was related to animal density. Consequently, yearling bison males were weaned and placed in either 1) tight confinement (TC), 2) loose (LC) confinement, or 3) free-ranging (FR, returned to herd). I measured fecal cortisol metabolites (FCM) as an index of stress. Fecal samples were collected in each group every 2 weeks from January to April 2009. Fecal cortisol levels were lowest for FR (23 ng/g DM), intermediate for LC (39 ng/g DM), and highest for TC (63 ng/g DM; P<0.0001). Fecal cortisol levels also varied by date (P<0.0001), and treatment and date interacted (P<0.0001). These results indicate bison live in extended families. Also, older females strongly influenced the direction of group movements, but bison also used democratic decisions. Finally, confinement greatly increased stress in young male bison compared with allowing them to free-range.