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This is a much-needed new introduction to a field that has been transformed in recent years by exciting new subjects, ideas, and methods. It is designed for students in both philosophy and the social sciences. Topics include ontology, objectivity, method, measurement, and causal inference, and such issues as well-being and climate change.
List of contents
- Introduction
- PART I. Current Debates
- 1: Anna Alexandrova: Well-being
- 2: Wendy Parker: Climate change
- 3: Eileen Munro: Evidence-based policy
- 4: Alison Wylie: Community-based collaborative archaeology
- PART II. Ontological Issues
- 5: Deborah Tollefsen: Social ontology
- 6: Helen Longino: Individuals or population?
- PART III. Questions About Objectivity
- 7: Eleonora Montuschi: Scientific objectivity
- 8: Sharon Crasnow: Feminist standpoint theory
- 9: Heather Douglas: Values in social science
- PART IV. Using Formal Models
- 10: Katie Steele: Choice models
- 11: Cristina Bicchieri: Norms, conventions, and the power of expectations
- PART V. Methodological Perspectives
- 12: Sophia Efstathiou and Zara Mirmalek: Interdisciplinarity in action
- 13: Miriam Solomon: Social epistemology in practice
- PART VI. Research Methods
- 14: Nancy Cartwright and Rosa Runhardt: Measurement
- 15: Mary Morgan: Case studies
- 16: Nancy Cartwright: Causal inference
About the author
Nancy Cartwright is Professor of Philosophy at the Department of Philosophy, University of Durham and at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD). Her research interests include philosophy and history of science (especially physics and economics), causal inference, objectivity, and evidence, especially on evidence-based policy.
Eleonora Montuschi is an Associate Professor at the Department of Philosophy and Cultural Heritage at the University of Venice, and Senior Research Fellow at the London School of Economics and Political Science. She is a philosopher of science working on scientific objectivity, the theory and practice of evidence, and methodological issues of the social sciences.
Summary
This is a much-needed new introduction to a field that has been transformed in recent years by exciting new subjects, ideas, and methods. It is designed both for students with central interests in philosophy and those planning to concentrate on the social sciences, and it presupposes no particular background in either domain. From the wide range of topics at the forefront of debate in philosophy of social science, the editors have chosen those which are representative of the most important and interesting contemporary work. A team of distinguished experts explore key aspects of the field such as social ontology (what are the things that social science studies?), objectivity, formal methods, measurement, and causal inference. Also included are chapters focused on notable subjects of social science research, such as well-being and climate change. Philosophy of Social Science provides a clear, accessible, and up-to-date guide to this fascinating field.
