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Author:   Jane Azevedo
Publisher:   State University of New York Press
Imprint:   State University of New York Press
Dimensions:   Width: 15.20cm , Height: 2.50cm , Length: 22.90cm
Weight:   0.476kg
ISBN:  

9780791432082

ISBN 10:   0791432084
Pages:   322
Publication Date:   06 February 1997
Audience:   Professional and scholarly ,  Professional and scholarly ,  Professional & Vocational ,  Postgraduate, Research & Scholarly
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   In Print  
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Table of Contents

List of Figures Acknowledgments Introduction I. The Problems 1. Sociology Today 1.1 The Diversity of Sociological Method 1.2 The Patterns of Diversity 1.3. The Problems of Diversity 2. Issues in the Metatheory of Sociology 2.1 Can Sociology Be Scientific? 2.2 The Status of the Social Sciences vis-a-vis the Natural Sciences: Naturalism versus Humanism 2.3 Scientific Knowledge and Validity 2.4 The Naturalist Realist Strategy II. Tools for a Solution 3. Theories as Maps of the World 3.1 Sciencing as a Human Activity 3.2 A Naturalist Realist Model of Scientific Theory 4. The Nature of Validity 4.1 The Adequacy of Maps 4.2 The Adequacy of Theories 4.3 The Mapping Model of Knowledge III. The Tools Applied 5. Validity and Reality in the Social Sciences 5.1 Cause and Reality 5.2 Structure, Function, and Cause in Sociology 5.3 Distinguishing Causal and Functional Explanations 5.4 The Relationship between Causal and Functional Theories 5.5 Reasons and Causes 5.6 The Status of Rational Explanations 5.7 Conclusion 6. Knowing in a Complex World 6.1 The Complex Nature of Reality 6.2 Reducing Complexity in a Complex and Changing World 6.3 The Ontological Consequences of a Pluralist Methodology 6.4 The Fragmentation of Knowledge 7. The Unification of Knowledge 7.1 Epistemic Values and the Unification of Knowledge 7.2 Reductionism and Unification 7.3 The MMK and Unification 7.4 Answering the Relativist Challenge to Realism IV. The Conclusion 8. The MMK and the Metatheory of Sociology Notes Bibliography Index

Reviews

Azevedo sets out a case for an evolutionary realism that supports pluralism without acceding to relativism. She gives appropriate historical and contextual consideration to contemporary discussions of relativism and other forms of realism and introduces her own theory in the context of examining the appropriateness of different maps for different purposes. Rather than subscribing to one or another of the traditional 'unity of science' themes, she proposes a complementarity based on diverse purposes of inquiry. -- Lenore Langsdorf, Southern Illinois University at Carbondale.

"""Azevedo sets out a case for an evolutionary realism that supports pluralism without acceding to relativism. She gives appropriate historical and contextual consideration to contemporary discussions of relativism and other forms of realism and introduces her own theory in the context of examining the appropriateness of different maps for different purposes. Rather than subscribing to one or another of the traditional 'unity of science' themes, she proposes a complementarity based on diverse purposes of inquiry."" -- Lenore Langsdorf, Southern Illinois University at Carbondale."

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