Philosophy of Social Science: A Contemporary Introduction

The Philosophy of Social Science: A Contemporary Introduction explores perennial questions of philosophy through engaging the empirical study of society. It discusses normativity, naturalism, reductionism, social policy, interpretive research, cognitive and evolutionary explanations, intentional action explanation, rational choice theory, conventions and social norms, joint intentionality, causal inference, and experimentation. The Second Edition includes updates with the most recent literature and adds two new chapters on modeling and the role of race and gender in the social sciences.

Format: Hardback
Length: 320 pages
Publication date: 25 July 2022
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

Philosophy of Social Science: A Contemporary Introduction delves into enduring philosophical inquiries by engaging in empirical study of society. Normativity concerns the role of values in social scientific inquiry, while naturalism explores the relationship between the natural and social sciences. Reductionism questions how social institutions relate to the individuals they comprise.

This accessible text provides a comprehensive overview of the field's debates, with a special focus on emerging research programs. Topics covered include the interplay between social policy and social science, interpretive research, cognitive and evolutionary explanations, intentional action explanation, rational choice theory, conventions and social norms, joint intentionality, causal inference, and experimentation.

Detailed examples of social scientific research serve to motivate the philosophical questions and illustrate the key concepts. Treating philosophical commitments as implicit in social science, this text is valuable for students of the social sciences as it applies philosophical argument to methodological and theoretical challenges. Moreover, it argues that social science transforms philosophical questions, and students of philosophy will benefit from its direct engagement with contemporary debates.

The Second Edition of this text has been updated to include the most recent literature and two new chapters: one on modeling and one on the role of race and gender in the social sciences.

Key Updates to the Second Edition:

A new chapter on Modeling and Explaining, which explores how models represent social systems and whether highly idealized models explain

A new chapter on Race and Other Social Constructions, capturing much of the recent empirical research.

By examining these topics, Philosophy of Social Science: A Contemporary Introduction offers a comprehensive and insightful exploration of the philosophical foundations of social science. It is an essential resource for students, scholars, and anyone interested in the intersection of philosophy and social science.

Weight: 780g
Dimension: 229 x 152 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781032075877
Edition number: 2 ed