Karl Popper And the Social Sciences (S U N Y Series in the Philosophy of the Social Sciences)

The first systematic treatment of Karl Popper’s contribution to the philosophy of the social sciences. KARL POPPER and the SOCIAL SCIENCES......Page 2 Contents......Page 8 Acknowledgments......Page 10 Abbreviations......Page 12 Introduction......Page 14 1. Popperian Situational Analysis......Page 18 BUILDING MODELS......Page 19 AGAINST PSYCHOLOGISM AND CONSPIRACY THEORIES......Page 24 METHODOLOGICAL INDIVIDUALISM......Page 28 SUMMARY......Page 34 2. Metaphysics, Realism, and Situational Analysis......Page 36 THE VIENNA CIRCLE’S POSITIVISM......Page 37 VERIFICATIONISM, EMPIRICISM, AND METAPHYSICS......Page 38 POPPER’S METAPHYSICAL AND SCIENTIFIC REALISM......Page 42 REALISM, WORLD 3, AND SOCIAL INQUIRY......Page 45 SUMMARY......Page 53 CAUSATION, COVERING LAWS, AND REALISM......Page 54 THE UNITY OF SCIENTIFIC METHOD......Page 65 FALSIFICATION AND SITUATIONAL ANALYSIS......Page 66 SUMMARY......Page 71 4. Situational Analysis and Economic Theory......Page 72 RATIONALITY AND ECONOMIC THEORY......Page 75 SITUATIONAL ANALYSIS AND ECONOMIC THEORY......Page 78 EXPLAINING VOTER TURNOUT: RATIONAL CHOICE VERSUS SITUATIONAL ANALYSIS......Page 85 UNTANGLING COMPLEX PATTERNS OF INTERACTION......Page 89 SUMMARY......Page 92 5. Popper’s Debt to Marx......Page 94 POPPER’S CRITIQUE OF MARX......Page 95 POPPER’S DEBT TO MARX......Page 103 POPPER AND THE ANALYTICAL MARXISTS......Page 107 SUMMARY......Page 111 6. The Shortcomings of Situational Analysis......Page 112 THE LIMITED RANGE OF SITUATIONAL ANALYSIS......Page 113 IRRATIONALITY AND SITUATIONAL ANALYSIS......Page 116 ELSTER’S MODEL OF REVOLUTIONS......Page 126 SUMMARY......Page 132 Conclusion......Page 134 Notes......Page 136 References......Page 146 E......Page 154 L......Page 155 P......Page 156 S......Page 157 Z......Page 158 Review: "This is the first book-length exploration of Karl Popper's often-neglected contributions to the philosophy of social science. William A. Gorton situates Popper's ideas on social inquiry within the broader framework of his thought, including his philosophy of natural science, his ontological theories, and his political thought. Gorton places special attention on Popper's theory of situational analysis and how it aims to heighten our understanding of the social world by untangling the complex web of human interaction that produces unintended - and often unwanted - social phenomena. Situational analysis, Gorton contends, involves a significant departure from the method of the natural sciences, despite Popper's plea for the unity of scientific method. Gorton also addresses some common misconceptions concerning Popper's stance toward economics and Marxism, making the provocative claim that contemporary analytical Marxism provides the best current example of Popperian social science put into practice."--Jacket