This book offers a systematic and critical discussion of Peter Winch's writings on the philosophy of the social sciences. The author points to Winch's tendency to over-emphasize the importance of language and communication, and his insufficient attention to the role of practical, technological activites in human life and society. It also offers an appendix devoted to the controversy between the anthropologists Marshall Sahlins and Gananath Obeyesekere regarding Captain James Cook's Hawaiian adventures. Essential reading for those studying the development of philosophy in the twentieth century, this book will also be of great interest to anthropologists, sociologists, scholars of religion, and all those with an interest in the relationship between philosophy and the social sciences.
This book offers a systematic and critical discussion of Peter Winch's writings on the philosophy of the social sciences and is essential reading for those studying the development of philosophy in the twentieth century.
Essential reading for those studying the development of philosophy in the twentieth century, this book will also be of great interest to anthropologists, sociologists, scholars of religion, and all those with an interest in the relationship between philosophy and the social sciences.
Kei Yoshida critically assesses five different theoretical approaches to cultural interpretivism and conclusions on rationality. This book reveals the need for a cogent solution to the problem of rationality and urges social scientists to interpret symbolic systems' or agents’ intentions as well as explain the consequences of human actions.
Sir Karl Popper (1902-1994) is one of the most controversial and widely read philosophers of the 20th century. Volume III examines Popper's contribution to our understanding of logic, mathematics, physics, biology and the social sciences, from economics to education
Do any moral values underlie the foundations of law and society in America? In Justice as Integrity, David Fagelson argues that morality is indeed a part of the idea of law. Examining controversies of speech and privacy, he does not ignore the conservative communitarian streak in America, but argues that liberal tolerance best fits the social meanings of American political morality. While tolerance plays a critical role, different social practices yield different conceptions of tolerance. Judges must interpret any public text to develop coherent narratives that best explain the use of force in their jurisdiction. In America, Fagelson argues, liberal tolerance is the sovereign principle that the Supreme Court uses as a prism when interpreting social institutions like marriage, speech, and even death, to make them more consistent with personal autonomy.
Jean Gebser was one of the most original and influential thinkers of the 20th century, though this work is the first collection of essays on Gebser to appear in English. The work begins with an analysis of Gebser's mode of inquiry and notes the distinguishing features of his theory of culture. The chapters that follow, each written by experts in a range of fields, explore Gebser's impact on the physical sciences, fine arts, popular culture, politics, philosophy, and other aspects of civilization. The volume convincingly demonstrates that Gebser is among the first postmodernist theorists.
