Value Theory in Philosophy and Social Science (RLE Social Theory)

Value Theory in Philosophy and Social Science (RLE Social Theory)
Author: James B. Wilbur
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 169
Release: 2014-08-13
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 1317650492

The annual Conferences on Value Inquiry bring together philosophers, scientists and humanists to discuss the many facets of the problem of value in the experience of the individual and in contemporary society. One of the criteria in choosing papers for the Conference is the ability to stimulate discussion and clarification. The papers in the present volumes show deep concern with the problems and responsibilities in making choices of value.

A Sociological Theory of Value

A Sociological Theory of Value
Author: Natàlia Cantó Milà
Publisher: transcript Verlag
Total Pages: 243
Release: 2015-07-31
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 3839403731

In this book, Natàlia Cantó Milà elaborates on Georg Simmel's relational approach to a theory of value, pointing at the heuristic possibilities that this approach offers to modern sociology and to a sociology of modernity. She does so by focusing on the theory of value Simmel developed in his »The Philosophy of Money«, delivering an alternative reading of this book that views its theory of value as its main axial point. Simmel's theory of value is depicted by Cantó Milà as including an intrinsically sociological aspect, since economic as well as moral, ethic and aesthetic values are conceived as resulting from human relations.

Value Theory in Philosophy and Social Science (RLE Social Theory)

Value Theory in Philosophy and Social Science (RLE Social Theory)
Author: James B. Wilbur
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 288
Release: 2014-08-13
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 1317650484

The annual Conferences on Value Inquiry bring together philosophers, scientists and humanists to discuss the many facets of the problem of value in the experience of the individual and in contemporary society. One of the criteria in choosing papers for the Conference is the ability to stimulate discussion and clarification. The papers in the present volumes show deep concern with the problems and responsibilities in making choices of value.

Science, Policy, and the Value-Free Ideal

Science, Policy, and the Value-Free Ideal
Author: Heather E. Douglas
Publisher: University of Pittsburgh Pre
Total Pages: 227
Release: 2009-07-15
Genre: Philosophy
ISBN: 082297357X

The role of science in policymaking has gained unprecedented stature in the United States, raising questions about the place of science and scientific expertise in the democratic process. Some scientists have been given considerable epistemic authority in shaping policy on issues of great moral and cultural significance, and the politicizing of these issues has become highly contentious. Since World War II, most philosophers of science have purported the concept that science should be "value-free." In Science, Policy and the Value-Free Ideal, Heather E. Douglas argues that such an ideal is neither adequate nor desirable for science. She contends that the moral responsibilities of scientists require the consideration of values even at the heart of science. She lobbies for a new ideal in which values serve an essential function throughout scientific inquiry, but where the role values play is constrained at key points, thus protecting the integrity and objectivity of science. In this vein, Douglas outlines a system for the application of values to guide scientists through points of uncertainty fraught with moral valence.Following a philosophical analysis of the historical background of science advising and the value-free ideal, Douglas defines how values should-and should not-function in science. She discusses the distinctive direct and indirect roles for values in reasoning, and outlines seven senses of objectivity, showing how each can be employed to determine the reliability of scientific claims. Douglas then uses these philosophical insights to clarify the distinction between junk science and sound science to be used in policymaking. In conclusion, she calls for greater openness on the values utilized in policymaking, and more public participation in the policymaking process, by suggesting various models for effective use of both the public and experts in key risk assessments.

The Origin of Values

The Origin of Values
Author: Raymond Boudon
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 240
Release: 2017-07-12
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 135147796X

Values have always been a central topic in both philosophy and the social sciences. Statements about what is good or bad, fair or unfair, legitimate or illegitimate, express clear beliefs about human existence. The fact that values differ from culture to culture and century to century opens many questions. In The Origin of Values, Raymond Boudon offers empirical, data-based analysis of existing theories about values, while developing his own perspective as to why people accept or reject value statements. Boudon classifies the main theories of value, including those based on firm belief, social or biological factors, and rational or utilitarian attitudes. He discusses the popular and widely influential Rational Choice Model and critiques the postmodernist approach. Boudon investigates why relativism has become so powerful and contrasts it with the naturalism represented by the work of James Q. Wilson on moral sensibility. He follows with a constructive attempt to develop a new theory, beginning with Weber's idea of non-instrumental rationality as the basis for a more complex idea of rationality. Applying Boudon's own and existing theories of value to political issues and social ideas—the end of apartheid, the death penalty, multiculturalism, communitarianism—The Origin of Values is a significant work. Boudon fulfills a major task of social science: explanation of collective belief. His book will be of interest to sociologists, philosophers, psychologists, and political scientists.

Continental Philosophy of Social Science

Continental Philosophy of Social Science
Author: Yvonne Sherratt
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 255
Release: 2005-10-17
Genre: Science
ISBN: 1139448552

Continental Philosophy of Social Science demonstrates the unique and autonomous nature of the continental approach to social science and contrasts it with the Anglo-American tradition. Yvonne Sherratt argues for the importance of an historical understanding of the Continental tradition in order to appreciate its individual, humanist character. Examining the key traditions of hermeneutic, genealogy, and critical theory, and the texts of major thinkers such as Gadamer, Ricoeur, Derrida, Nietzsche, Foucault, the Early Frankfurt School and Habermas, she also contextualizes contemporary developments within strands of thought stemming back to Ancient Greece and Rome. Sherratt shows how these modes of thinking developed through medieval Christian thought into the Enlightenment and Romantic eras, before becoming mainstays of twentieth-century disciplines. Continental Philosophy of Social Science will serve as the essential textbook for courses in philosophy or social sciences.

The Philosophy of Social Science

The Philosophy of Social Science
Author: Martin Hollis
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 284
Release: 1994-09-01
Genre: Philosophy
ISBN: 1316101770

This textbook by Martin Hollis offers an exceptionally clear and concise introduction to the philosophy of social science. It examines questions which give rise to fundamental philosophical issues. Are social structures better conceived of as systems of laws and forces, or as webs of meanings and practices? Is social action better viewed as rational behaviour, or as self-expression? By exploring such questions, the reader is led to reflect upon the nature of scientific method in social science. Is the aim to explain the social world after a manner worked out for the natural world, or to understand the social world from within?

Value Theory

Value Theory
Author: Deshun Li
Publisher: Springer
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2015-08-06
Genre: Philosophy
ISBN: 9783642441509

Humankind’s progress has always been driven by two momentums: the pursuit of truth and the creation of value. But our understanding of value, and our ability to reflect on its complexity, has long lagged behind our constant search for truth. This has, in turn limited our grasp of the essence of truth. This book takes philosophical contemplations on value to a new level, while also explicating some contemporary Chinese styles of philosophical thought. Over the past 25 years, this book has been having an increasing impact on Chinese readers and researchers, and it also provides a good platform for international dialogue on several key issues of philosophical studies.