dissertation extracts 1977 – Understanding Society

May 13, 2019May 7, 2023

A plan for philosophy of social science circa 1976

image: Imre Lakatos My Ph.D. dissertation in philosophy was written between 1974 and 1977 and was accepted in 1977. The topic was Marx's theory of science as embodied in Capital, and it was one of the early attempts to join an analytical philosophical perspective with careful study of Marx's ideas. The title of the dissertation …

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May 11, 2019May 7, 2023

My program of research, circa 1976

My Ph.D. dissertation in philosophy was written between 1974 and 1977 and was accepted in 1977. The topic was Marx's theory of science as embodied in Capital, and it was one of the early attempts to join an analytical philosophical perspective with careful study of Marx's ideas. The title of the dissertation was Marx's Capital: A …

Continue reading "My program of research, circa 1976"

Understanding Society is an academic blog by Daniel Little that explores a series of topics in the philosophy of social science and the workings of the social world. Published continuously since 2007, the blog has treated a wide range of topics, from the nature of causal mechanisms to the idea of emergence to the political dynamics of right-wing extremism to the causes of large-scale technological disaster. Readers should consider the blog an example of “open-source philosophy”. It is an experiment in thinking, one idea at a time.

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May 31, 2023
Key premises of analytical sociologyHere is my effort to pull together the main programmatic statements of the analytical sociology framework, as expressed by Hedstrom, Bearman, Demeulenaere, Coleman, Elster, Manzo, and others. Principal concern: there is a prevailing impression within this group that AS approaches are superior to all other approaches in sociology, which seems manifestly unfounded. Consider comparative historical sociology.#philosophy #sociology https://undsoc.org/2023/05/31/key-premises-of-analytical-sociology/
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May 20, 2023
Meso-foundational explanationsAnalytical sociologists give primacy to microfoundational explanations of social facts. I suggest that it is equally legitimate to seek out "meso-foundational" explanations (based on causal mechanisms for a social fact at the meso level), and even "macro-foundational" explanations. The examples imply that there is no “up” and “down” when it comes to explanatory primacy. Microfoundations have no special priority. #philosophy #sociology https://undsoc.org/2023/05/18/meso-foundational-explanations/
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May 14, 2023
An excellent piece by Maria Stephan in Salon on the aggressive authoritarianism being pursued by Governor DeSantis in Florida, and some of the efforts citizens and community-based groups are mounting against him. #authoritarianism https://www.salon.com/2023/05/14/the-battle-against-fascism-in-florida-lessons-on-how-to-beat-back-authoritarianism-from-abroad/
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May 13, 2023
New thinking about how authoritarian rule worksJohannes Gerschewski’s *The Two Logics of Autocratic Rule* tries to answer some general questions about how authoritarian regimes manage to maintain power over extended periods of time. The book also sheds light on the current goals and strategies of the anti-democracy GOP today.An interesting observation -- "Coups remain the most frequent way that an autocracy ends." #authoritarianism https://undsoc.org/2023/05/13/new-thinking-about-how-authoritarian-rule-works/https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/two-logics-of-autocratic-rule/9C61972920FEE9E850313E54936A9D1E#:~:text=In%20The%20Two%20Logics%20of,potential%20dissent%2C%20and%20popular%20legitimation.
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May 12, 2023
Sources of technology failureLarge technology disasters are usually the result of complex conjunctions of different kinds of failures. This post identifies system failures, organizational dysfunctions, behavioral shortcomings, and regulatory inadequacy as recurring causes. A pervasive underlying cause is the persistent effort to remove costs from a profit-driven enterprise, leading to shrinking investments in safety systems and personnel.#technology #disasterhttps://undsoc.org/2023/05/12/sources-of-technology-failure/

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