Action Theory and Social Science

Action Theory and Social Science
Author: I. Pörn
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages: 147
Release: 2012-12-06
Genre: Philosophy
ISBN: 9401012687

This book is intended as a contribution to the foundations of the sciences of man, especially the social sciences. It has been argued with increasing frequency in recent years that the vocabulary of social science is to a large extent an action vocabulary and that any attempt to systematize concepts and establish bases for understanding in the field cannot, therefore, succeed unless it is firmly built on action theory. I think that these claims are sub stantially correct, but at the same time it seems to me that action theory, as it is relevant to social science, still awaits vital contributions from logic and philosophy. For example, it has often been said, rightly I believe, that situa tions in which two or more agents interact constitute the subject-matter of social science. But have we got an action theory which is rich enough or com prehensive enough to allow us to characterize the interaction situation? I think not. Once we have such a theory, however, we should be able to give an accurate account of central social phenomena and to articulate our concep tions about the nature of social reality. The conceptual scheme advanced in this book consists, in the first instance, of solutions to a number of characterization problems, i. e. problems which may be expressed by questions of the form "What is the nature of . . .

Action Theory

Action Theory
Author: Ladislav Valach
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA
Total Pages: 285
Release: 2002-07-30
Genre: Psychology
ISBN: 0313077347

The authors describe a view that our short-, medium-, and long- term behavior, interactions, and relationships—whether planned or spontaneous, purposeful or playful—can be understood in terms of goal-directed systems. An understanding of action theory and research methods used in applied settings is provided. It leads to the conclusion that individual processes are joint processes and the joint construction of lives should be monitored to understand ongoing personal and social involvements. The unique contribution of this book lies in its bringing together and extending of basic features of the theory of goal-directed action systems previously published in a range of scattered research and conceptual articles in the literature. Professionals including clinicians, counselors, social workers, researchers, doctors, nurses, and physical or occupational therapists will find in this book an accessible means to understand, act on, research, and intervene in the behavioral processes they encounter in everyday work.

A Theory of Social Action

A Theory of Social Action
Author: R. Tuomela
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages: 544
Release: 2012-12-06
Genre: Philosophy
ISBN: 9400963173

It is somewhat surprising to find out how little serious theorizing there is in philosophy (and in social psychology as well as sociology) on the nature of social actions or joint act. hons in the sense of actions performed together by several agents. Actions performed by single agents have been extensively discussed both in philosophy and in psycho~ogy. There is, ac cordingly, a booming field called action theory in philosophy but it has so far strongly concentrated on actions performed by single agents only. We of course should not forget game theory, a discipline that systematically studies the strategic interac tion between several rational agents. Yet this important theory, besides being restricted to strongly rational acting, fails to study properly several central problems related to the concep tual nature of social action. Thus, it does not adequately clarify and classify the various types of joint action (except perhaps from the point of view of the agents' utilities). This book presents a systematic theory of social action. Because of its reliance on so-called purposive causation and generation it is called the purposive-causal theory. This work also discusses several problems related to the topic of social action, for instance that of how to create from this perspective the most central concepts needed by social psychology and soci ology. While quite a lot of ground is covered in the book, many important questions have been left unanswered and many others unasked as well.

Action Theory and Social Science

Action Theory and Social Science
Author: I. Pörn
Publisher: Springer
Total Pages: 138
Release: 2011-10-13
Genre: Philosophy
ISBN: 9789401012706

This book is intended as a contribution to the foundations of the sciences of man, especially the social sciences. It has been argued with increasing frequency in recent years that the vocabulary of social science is to a large extent an action vocabulary and that any attempt to systematize concepts and establish bases for understanding in the field cannot, therefore, succeed unless it is firmly built on action theory. I think that these claims are sub stantially correct, but at the same time it seems to me that action theory, as it is relevant to social science, still awaits vital contributions from logic and philosophy. For example, it has often been said, rightly I believe, that situa tions in which two or more agents interact constitute the subject-matter of social science. But have we got an action theory which is rich enough or com prehensive enough to allow us to characterize the interaction situation? I think not. Once we have such a theory, however, we should be able to give an accurate account of central social phenomena and to articulate our concep tions about the nature of social reality. The conceptual scheme advanced in this book consists, in the first instance, of solutions to a number of characterization problems, i. e. problems which may be expressed by questions of the form "What is the nature of . . .

Explanation in Action Theory and Historiography

Explanation in Action Theory and Historiography
Author: Gunnar Schumann
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 267
Release: 2019-05-29
Genre: Philosophy
ISBN: 0429000650

Is the appropriate form of human action explanation causal or rather teleological? While this is a central question in analytic philosophy of action, it also has implications for questions about the differences between methods of explanation in the sciences on the one hand and in the humanities and the social sciences on the other. Additionally, this question bears on the problem of the appropriate form of explanations of past human actions, and therefore it is prominently discussed by analytic philosophers of historiography. This volume brings together causalists and anti-causalists to address enduring philosophical questions at the heart of this debate, as well as their implications for the practice of historiography. Part I considers the quarrel between causalism and anti-causalism in recent developments in the philosophy of action. Part II presents papers by causalists and anti-causalists that are more narrowly focused on the philosophy of historiography.

Toward a General Theory of Action

Toward a General Theory of Action
Author: Talcott Parsons
Publisher:
Total Pages: 518
Release: 2013-10-01
Genre:
ISBN: 9780674863491

'Stay Alive ' (SA ) is a modern rules variant that is intended for use with the Tunnels & Trolls role-playing game. This is not a standalone game. While intended and designed for version 7.5 of the T&T rules, any edition will work as the basics are all fairly similar. The system will work well if you are planning on running a game in a multitude of modern campaign genres. Future volumes from Darkshade Publishing will be released to offer specific campaign information along with GM or Solo adventures. This is the rules only edition. Includes: Character Sheet, Modern Weapons Charts, Rules for Automatic Weapons, New Range Charts, Modifiers for Missile Combat, and much more.

Action Theory

Action Theory
Author: Helmut Staubmann
Publisher: LIT Verlag Münster
Total Pages: 232
Release: 2006
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 9783825875022

The volume explores the legacy of the general theory of action in order to exploit it for contemporary debates on the methodology of the social sciences. It includes the important but so far unpublished Parsons manuscript "The Sociology of Knowledge and the History of Ideas" and essays by Thomas Fararo (University of Pittsburgh): "On the Foundations of Action Theory"; Victor Lidz (Drexel University) and Harold Bershady (University of Pennsylvania): "Parsons' Tacit Metatheory"; Giuseppe Sciortino (Universitß degli studi di Trento): "Toward a Structural Theory of Social Pluralism"; David Sciulli (Texas A&M University): "Reformulating Parsons' Theory for Comparative Research Today"; Helmut Staubmann (University of Innsbruck): "The Affective Structure of the Social World." Helmut Staubmann is professor at the Institute for Sociology at the Leopold-Franzens-University, Innsbruck (Austria).

A Theory of Social Action

A Theory of Social Action
Author: R. Tuomela
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages: 554
Release: 1984-09-30
Genre: Gardening
ISBN: 9789027717030

It is somewhat surprising to find out how little serious theorizing there is in philosophy (and in social psychology as well as sociology) on the nature of social actions or joint act. hons in the sense of actions performed together by several agents. Actions performed by single agents have been extensively discussed both in philosophy and in psycho~ogy. There is, ac cordingly, a booming field called action theory in philosophy but it has so far strongly concentrated on actions performed by single agents only. We of course should not forget game theory, a discipline that systematically studies the strategic interac tion between several rational agents. Yet this important theory, besides being restricted to strongly rational acting, fails to study properly several central problems related to the concep tual nature of social action. Thus, it does not adequately clarify and classify the various types of joint action (except perhaps from the point of view of the agents' utilities). This book presents a systematic theory of social action. Because of its reliance on so-called purposive causation and generation it is called the purposive-causal theory. This work also discusses several problems related to the topic of social action, for instance that of how to create from this perspective the most central concepts needed by social psychology and soci ology. While quite a lot of ground is covered in the book, many important questions have been left unanswered and many others unasked as well.

After Parsons

After Parsons
Author: Renee C. Fox
Publisher: Russell Sage Foundation
Total Pages: 364
Release: 2005-08-25
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 1610442156

Esteemed twentieth-century sociologist Talcott Parsons sought to develop a comprehensive and coherent scheme for sociology that could be applied to every society and historical epoch, and address every aspect of human social organization and culture. His theory of social action has exerted enormous influence across a wide range of social science disciplines. After Parsons, edited by Renée Fox, Victor Lidz, and Harold Bershady, provides a critical reexamination of Parsons' theory in light of historical changes in the world and advances in sociological thought since his death. After Parsons is a fresh examination of Parsons' theoretical undertaking, its significance for social scientific thought, and its implications for present-day empirical research. The book is divided into four parts: Social Institutions and Social Processes; Societal Community and Modernization; Sociology and Culture; and the Human Condition. The chapters deal with Parsons' notions of societal community, societal evolution, and modernization and modernity. After Parsons addresses major themes of enduring relevance, including social differentiation and cultural diversity, social solidarity, universalism and particularism, and trust and affect in social life. The contributors explore these topics in a wide range of social institutions—family and kinship, economy, polity, the law, medicine, art, and religion—and within the context of contemporary developments such as globalization, the power of the United States as an "empireless empire," the emergence of forms of fundamentalism, the upsurge of racial, tribal, and ethnic conflicts, and the increasing occurence of deterministic and positivistic thought. Rather than simply celebrating Parsons and his accomplishments, the contributors to After Parsons rethink and reformulate his ideas to place them on more solid foundations, extend their scope, and strengthen their empirical insights. After Parsons constitutes the work of a distinguished roster of American and European sociologists who find Parsons' theory of action a valuable resource for addressing contemporary issues in sociological theory. All of the essays in this volume take elements of Parsons' theory and critique, adapt, refine, or extend them to gain fresh purchase on problems that confront sociologists today.