Conclusion

Michael Lissack and Abraham Graber

A chapter in Modes of Explanation, 2014, pp 215-227 from Palgrave Macmillan

Abstract: I believe that we are in a much stronger position now than we have been for many years, provided that we are: Realist in acknowledging the actuality of an independent, causally efficacious world while recognizing the limitations on our access to it. Systemic and interdisciplinary because the world is a complex intertwining or lamination of many kinds of mechanisms—physical, biological, psychological, social, political, economic—that interact in complex non-linear ways. Empirical or evidence-based in accepting the importance of data and information and its analysis, especially when there is so much of it available—‘big data’ and analytics—while recognizing the limitations of both the data itself and purely empiricist analyses of it. Interpretive in accepting that in the social world individuals and groups to some extent construct their own interpretations and valuations, and that we must understand and pay due attention to this in researching and in resolving problems. Multimethodological … we need to be eclectic in our use of methods and methodologies in both research and in practical interventions, and much more interdisciplinary in our use of theory. Critical and committed in recognizing the unavoidable ethical and moral dimensions to all our decisions and actions, and not hiding behind technocratic, managerialist or positivist arguments that they are somehow ‘value-free’.

Keywords: Scientific Realism; Reflective Equilibrium; Conditional Power; Successful Explanation; Hermeneutic Circle (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2014
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

There are no downloads for this item, see the EconPapers FAQ for hints about obtaining it.

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:pal:palchp:978-1-137-40386-5_17

Ordering information: This item can be ordered from
http://www.palgrave.com/9781137403865

DOI: 10.1057/9781137403865_17

Access Statistics for this chapter

More chapters in Palgrave Macmillan Books from Palgrave Macmillan
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Sonal Shukla () and Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing ().