Download or read book Theories of Distinction written by Niklas Luhmann and published by Stanford University Press. This book was released on 2002 with total page 244 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The essays in this volume formulate what is considered to be the preconditions for an adequate theory of modern society. The volume starts with an examination of the modern European philosophical and scientific tradition notably the phenomenology of Edmund Husserl.
Download or read book Theories of Distinction written by Niklas Luhmann and published by . This book was released on 2022 with total page 240 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The essays in this volume by Germany's leading social theorist of the late twentieth century formulate what he considered to be the preconditions for an adequate theory of modern society. The first two essays deal with the modern European philosophical and scientific tradition, notably the ogy of Edmund Husserl. The next four essays concern the crucial notion of observation as defined by Luhmann. They examine the history of paradox as a logical problem and as a historically conditioned feature of rhetoric; deconstruct the thinking of Jacques Derrida, especially his language-centered allegiances; discuss the usefulness of Spencer Brown's Laws of Form; and assess the consequences of observation and paradox for epistemology. The following essays present Luhmann's theory of communication and his articulation of the difference between thought and communication, a difference that makes clear one of Luhmann's most radical and controversial theses, that the individual not only does not form the basic element of society but is excluded from it altogether, situated instead in the environment of the social system. The book concludes with a polemic against the critical thought of the Frankfurt School of postwar German social thought.
Download or read book Theories of Scientific Method written by Robert Nola and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2014-12-18 with total page 343 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: What is it to be scientific? Is there such a thing as scientific method? And if so, how might such methods be justified? Robert Nola and Howard Sankey seek to provide answers to these fundamental questions in their exploration of the major recent theories of scientific method. Although for many scientists their understanding of method is something they just pick up in the course of being trained, Nola and Sankey argue that it is possible to be explicit about what this tacit understanding of method is, rather than leave it as some unfathomable mystery. They robustly defend the idea that there is such a thing as scientific method and show how this might be legitimated. This book begins with the question of what methodology might mean and explores the notions of values, rules and principles, before investigating how methodologists have sought to show that our scientific methods are rational. Part 2 of this book sets out some principles of inductive method and examines its alternatives including abduction, IBE, and hypothetico-deductivism. Part 3 introduces probabilistic modes of reasoning, particularly Bayesianism in its various guises, and shows how it is able to give an account of many of the values and rules of method. Part 4 considers the ideas of philosophers who have proposed distinctive theories of method such as Popper, Lakatos, Kuhn and Feyerabend and Part 5 continues this theme by considering philosophers who have proposed naturalised theories of method such as Quine, Laudan and Rescher. This book offers readers a comprehensive introduction to the idea of scientific method and a wide-ranging discussion of how historians of science, philosophers of science and scientists have grappled with the question over the last fifty years.
Download or read book The Structure of Scientific Theories written by Frederick Suppe and published by University of Illinois Press. This book was released on 1977 with total page 854 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: ''A clear and comprehensive introduction to contemporary philosophy of science.'' -- American Scientist ''The best account of scientific theory now available, one that surely commends itself to every philosopher of science with the slightest interest in metaphysics.'' -- Review of Mathematics ''It should certainly be of interest to those teaching graduate courses in philosophy of science and to scientists wishing to gain a further appreciation of the approach used by philosophers of science.'' -- Science Activities
Download or read book Medieval Theories of Distinction written by Sandra Stanton Edwards and published by . This book was released on 1974 with total page 956 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Theories of Truth written by Richard L. Kirkham and published by Bradford Book. This book was released on 1995 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Surveys all of the major theories of truth, presenting the crux of the issues involved at a level accessible to nonexperts yet in a manner sufficiently detailed and original to be of value to professional scholars.
Download or read book The Cambridge Rawls Lexicon written by Jon Mandle and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2014-12-11 with total page 1112 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: John Rawls is widely regarded as one of the most influential philosophers of the twentieth century, and his work has permanently shaped the nature and terms of moral and political philosophy, deploying a robust and specialized vocabulary that reaches beyond philosophy to political science, economics, sociology, and law. This volume is a complete and accessible guide to Rawls' vocabulary, with over 200 alphabetical encyclopaedic entries written by the world's leading Rawls scholars. From 'basic structure' to 'burdened society', from 'Sidgwick' to 'strains of commitment', and from 'Nash point' to 'natural duties', the volume covers the entirety of Rawls' central ideas and terminology, with illuminating detail and careful cross-referencing. It will be an essential resource for students and scholars of Rawls, as well as for other readers in political philosophy, ethics, political science, sociology, international relations and law.
Download or read book Distinction written by Pierre Bourdieu and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2013-04-15 with total page 641 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Examines differences in taste between modern French classes, discusses the relationship between culture and politics, and outlines the strategies of pretension.
Download or read book Theory and Reality written by Peter Godfrey-Smith and published by University of Chicago Press. This book was released on 2021-07-16 with total page 412 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: How does science work? Does it tell us what the world is “really” like? What makes it different from other ways of understanding the universe? In Theory and Reality, Peter Godfrey-Smith addresses these questions by taking the reader on a grand tour of more than a hundred years of debate about science. The result is a completely accessible introduction to the main themes of the philosophy of science. Examples and asides engage the beginning student, a glossary of terms explains key concepts, and suggestions for further reading are included at the end of each chapter. Like no other text in this field, Theory and Reality combines a survey of recent history of the philosophy of science with current key debates that any beginning scholar or critical reader can follow. The second edition is thoroughly updated and expanded by the author with a new chapter on truth, simplicity, and models in science.
Download or read book Niklas Luhmann s Theory of Politics and Law written by M. King and published by Springer. This book was released on 2003-09-16 with total page 273 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Niklas Luhmann's social theory stands in direct opposition to the dominant 'anthropocentric' traditions of legal and political analysis. King and Thornhill now offer the first comprehensive, critical examination of Luhmann's highly original theory of the operations of the legal and political systems. They describe how from the perspective of his 'sociological enlightenment' Luhmann continually calls to account the certainties, the ambitions and rational foundations of The Enlightenment and the idealized versions of law and politics which they have produced.
Download or read book Faraday to Einstein Constructing Meaning in Scientific Theories written by N.J. Nersessian and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2012-12-06 with total page 203 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Einstein often expressed the sentiment that "the eternal mystery of the world is its comprehensibility," and that science is the means through which we comprehend it. However, nearly every one - including scientists - agrees that the concepts of modem physics are quite incomprehensible: They are both unintelligible to the educated lay-person and to the scientific community itself, where there is much dispute over the interpretation of even (and especially) the most basic concepts. There is, of course, almost universal agreement that modem science quite adequately accounts for and predicts events, i. e. , that its calculations work better than those of classical physics; yet the concepts of science are supposed to be descriptive of 'the world' as well - they should enable us to comprehend it. So, it is asked, and needs tobe"asked: Has modem physics failed in an important respect? It failed with me as a physics student. I came to physics, as with most naIve students, out of a desire to know what the world is really like; in particular, to understand Einstein's conception of it. I thought I had grasped the concepts in classical mechanics, but with electrodynamics confusion set in and only increased with relativity and quantum mechanics. At that point I began even to doubt whether I had really understood the basic concepts of classical mechanics.
Download or read book The Handbook of Educational Theories written by Beverly Irby and published by IAP. This book was released on 2013-03-01 with total page 1164 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Although educational theories are presented in a variety of textbooks and in some discipline specific handbooks and encyclopedias, no publication exists which serves as a comprehensive, consolidated collection of the most influential and most frequently quoted and consulted theories. There is a need to put such theories into a single, easily accessible volume. A unique feature of the Handbook is the way in which it conveys the theories. The organization of the chapters within each section makes the volume an easy·to-use and tu1derstandable reference tool as researchers and practitioners seek theories to guide their research and practice and as they develop theoretical frameworks. In addition to the traditional theories presented, the Handbook includes emerging theories for the 21st Century as well as presenting practical examples of the use of these theories in research from dissertations and published articles. An appendix which indicates which theories have instruments associated with them and where those instruments can be found is also included. The Handbook consists of 12 sections. Section I provides the jntroduction with a focus on what constitutes good theory as well as how theory guides research and practice. The remaining sections address Philosophical Educational Constructs, Leaming Theory, Instructional Theory, Curriculum theory, Literacy and Language Acquisition Theory, Counseling Theory, Moral Development Theory, Classroom Management Theory, Assessment Theory, Organizational Theory, and Leadership/Management Theory. Each section consists of an overview written by the section editor of the general theoretical concepts to be addressed by the chapter authors. Each chapter within the section will include (a) a description of the theory with goals, assumptions, and aspects particular to the theory, (b) the original development of and interactions of the theory, (c) validation of the theory, (d) generalizability of the theory across cultures, ethnicities, and genders, (e) the use and application of the theory, (f) critiques of the theory, (g) any instruments associated with the theory, and (h) two to five particular studies exemplifying particular theories as individuals have used them in theoretical framework of dissertations or published articles and be written by the original theorist or prominent contributors to the theory. The Handbook is intended for graduate students enrolled in research courses or completing theses and dissertations. Additionally, professors of all educational disciplines in the social scierices would be an interested audience. There is also potential use of the text as administrators, counselors, and teachers in schools use theory to guide practice. As more inquiry is being promoted among school leaders, this book has more meaning for practitioners.
Download or read book Public and Private in Thought and Practice written by Jeff Weintraub and published by University of Chicago Press. This book was released on 1997-03-15 with total page 408 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: These essays, by widely respected scholars in fields ranging from social and political theory to historical sociology and cultural studies, illuminate the significance of the public/private distinction for an increasingly wide range of debates. Commenting on controversies surrounding such issues as abortion rights, identity politics, and the requirements of democratization, many of these essays clarify crucial processes that have shaped the culture and institutions of modern societies. In contexts ranging from friendship, the family, and personal life to nationalism, democratic citizenship, the role of women in social and political life, and the contrasts between western and (post-)Communist societies, this book brings out the ways the various uses of the public/private distinction are simultaneously distinct and interconnected. Public and Private in Thought and Practice will be of interest to students and scholars in disciplines including politics, law, philosophy, history, sociology, and women's studies. Contributors include Jeff Weintraub, Allan Silver, Craig Calhoun, Daniela Gobetti, Jean L. Cohen, Jean Bethke Elshtain, Alan Wolfe, Krishan Kumar, David Brain, Karen Hansen, Marc Garcelon, and Oleg Kharkhordin.
Download or read book Conspiracy Theories and the Failure of Intellectual Critique written by Kurtis Hagen and published by University of Michigan Press. This book was released on 2022-07-20 with total page 353 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Conspiracy Theories and the Failure of Intellectual Critique argues that conspiracy theories, including those that conflict with official accounts and suggest that prominent people in Western democracies have engaged in appalling behavior, should be taken seriously and judged on their merits and problems on a case-by-case basis. It builds on the philosophical work on this topic that has developed over the past quarter century, challenging some of it, but affirming the emerging consensus: each conspiracy theory ought to be judged on its particular merits and faults. The philosophical consensus contrasts starkly with what one finds in the social science literature. Kurtis Hagen argues that significant aspects of that literature, especially the psychological study of conspiracy theorists, has turned out to be flawed and misleading. Those flaws are not randomly directed; rather, they consistently serve to disparage conspiracy theorists unfairly. This suggests that there may be a bias against conspiracy theorists in the academy, skewing “scientific” results. Conspiracy Theories and the Failure of Intellectual Critique argues that social scientists who study conspiracy theories and/or conspiracy theorists would do well to better absorb the implications of the philosophical literature.
Download or read book Theory Formation and the Study of Literature written by Dolf Sörensen and published by BRILL. This book was released on 1987 with total page 388 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Foundations of Space Time Theories written by Michael Friedman and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 2014-07-14 with total page 403 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book, explores the conceptual foundations of Einstein's theory of relativity: the fascinating, yet tangled, web of philosophical, mathematical, and physical ideas that is the source of the theory's enduring philosophical interest. Originally published in 1983. The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.
Download or read book Theories of Secession written by Percy B. Lehning and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2005-06-23 with total page 274 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Theories of Secession presents a systematic analysis of the rise of secessionist movements in global politics. Bringing together a collection of experts in the field, it provides a timely forum for debate in this contentious area of study.
