Remarks on concept formation: Theory building and theory testing
Philosophy of Science 38 (4):570-604 (1971)
| Abstract | Concepts originating in the philosophy of science generally are used only ritualistically and in careful isolation from research practice in political science. But philosophical considerations are fundamental to political research, and critically influence its decisions. The question is whether ideas offered by philosophers of science have practical (that is to say, theoretical) significance for political researchers. This essay argues that philosophy of science has extremely relevant ideas to offer. The argument proceeds through an initial presentation of some elementary notions drawn from reconstructions of the nature of concept formation-theory construction. These are then utilized in a critique of the research of quantitative political scientists. Three rather central concerns of this, still very young, discipline are discussed: measurement problems, the use of recursive and structural systems in causal modeling, and the primary logical function of multivariate analysis in political studies. The discussion is viewed as supporting the general point that applied philosophy of science ought to be, not an adjunct, but one of the key critical contributors to political research | |||||||||
| Keywords | No keywords specified (fix it) | |||||||||
| Categories | ||||||||||
| Options |
|
|||||||||
Download options| PhilPapers Archive |
Upload a copy of this paper Check publisher's policy on self-archival Papers currently archived: 5,701 |
| External links |
 |
| Through your library | Configure |
Similar books and articlesAviezer Tucker (2007). The Political Theory of French Science Studies in Context. Perspectives on Science 15 (2):202-221.
Margaret R. Somers (1995). Narrating and Naturalizing Civil Society and Citizenship Theory: The Place of Political Culture and the Public Sphere. Sociological Theory 13 (3):229-274.
Stephen K. White & J. Donald Moon (eds.) (2003). What is Political Theory? Sage Publications.
Andrea Cerroni (2000). Covariance/Invariance: A Cognitive Heuristic in Einstein's Relativity Theory Formation. Foundations of Science 5 (2):209-224.
Jon Beasley-Murray (2010). Posthegemony: Political Theory and Latin America. University of Minnesota Press.
Paul Schumaker (ed.) (2010). The Political Theory Reader. Wiley-Blackwell.
Margaret R. Somers (1995). What's Political or Cultural About Political Culture and the Public Sphere? Toward an Historical Sociology of Concept Formation. Sociological Theory 13 (2):113-144.
John Drysdale (1996). How Are Social-Scientific Concepts Formed? A Reconstruction of Max Weber's Theory of Concept Formation. Sociological Theory 14 (1):71-88.
Struan Jacobs (1999). Thoughts on Political Sources of Karl Popper's Philosophy of Science. Journal of Philosophical Research 24:445-457.
Analytics
Monthly downloads
Sorry, there are not enough data points to plot this chart.
|
Added to index2009-01-28Total downloads1 ( #274,921 of 549,119 )Recent downloads (6 months)1 ( #63,361 of 549,119 )How can I increase my downloads? |
My notes
Discussion
