Making Things Possible

Gabriel Abend

Sociological Methods & Research, 2022, vol. 51, issue 1, 68-107

Abstract: I argue that what-makes-it-possible questions are a distinct and important kind of sociological research question. What is social phenomenon P made possible or enabled by? Results won’t be about P ’s causes and causal relationships, but about its enablers and enabling relationships. I examine the character of what-makes-it-possible questions and claims, how they can be empirically investigated, and what they’re good for. If I’m right, they provide a unique perspective on social phenomena, they show how the social world doesn’t come ready-made, and they open up new avenues for research.

Keywords: logic of inquiry; enablers; what-makes-it-possible questions; philosophy of the social sciences; causation; enabling relationships (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:sae:somere:v:51:y:2022:i:1:p:68-107

DOI: 10.1177/0049124120926204

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