Abstract

This book deals with the dilemmas of “grand theory,” which presents a synoptic view of human nature and society, and with testable hypotheses, which consist of more humble propositions subject to empirical testing. Although Alan Sica finds “no fewer than seven or eight distinct theoretical vantage points” (p. 12) represented in this volume,” for the most part they all share vulnerabilities which become evident when confronted with a common set of philosophical strategies. The dilemmas of grand theory are clear in Robert J. Antonio's treatment of what he calls “epistemological perspectivism” (p. 31), whose advocates adhere to “conditional ideas of…