POS Week 6

methodological individualism

individual actions as the determining factor in the explanation of social phenomena like markets and companies; for many scholars it is based on the ontological premise that social reality cannot be determined by supra-individual factor

methodological collectivism - what it is based on?

based on the ontological premise that individual phenomena are determined by the structure in which they are imbedded; the whole is more than a sum of individual parts; individual actions are determined by what is available in the contextual whole

methodological collectivism - definition

we should scrutinise functions, mechanisms and reasons at macro level if we want to explain, understand and predict social phenomena

functional explanations

explanations in which the function or goal of a phenomenon provides for the explanation of the phenomenon; functionalism focuses on the system and the role the phenomenon plays within such a system

functional explanation - example

In biology male birds are more capable of seducing females if they are better singers - explanation based on the description of goals. We explain why birds sing by describing what they can achieve by doing so

Difference between causality and functionality

causality assesses events preceding a phenomenon; functionality assesses the goal phenomenon serves

functional and system explanations

functional explanations are always system explanations. They ask what os necessary for system to survive and function well and explain individual behaviour be showing how individ. behaviour serves this systemic goal. Clear theory whose goal it is

Why is crime functional according to Durkheim?

Crime is functional cuz it reinforces and keeps the society together

Symbolic Interactionism

participating in social practices is the only way to find out and learn to understand what people consider to be important

premise of symbolic interactionism

people's behavior and choices are largely determined by norms within a group, even though choices and behaviour also contribute to the production and development of these norms

Patterned behaviour

It is not to be understood as behaviour guided by a rule. You simply make up new rules describing your behaviour. These kind of rules are not of a prescriptive nature. There is no normativity in them, so you cannot fail in applying them

A causal explanation

explanans (cause) -> explanandum (effect)

A functional explanation

it explains the existence of sth from its function within a given system; explanans (function) -> explanandum

1st Condition of Functional Explanations admission

General Causal feedback mechanism exists; i.e. biological evolution, economic competition, sociological legitimation

2nd Condition of Functional Explanations admission

Higher order regulative system at play

3rd condition of Functional Explanations admission

Are there alternatives?

Fundamental issues with functional explanations

1. Confusion of Causes and Effect; 2. Assumption that there is a higher order system at play; 3. Assumption that the explanans are a necessary condition

Hermeneutics - social reality consists of two types of facts

1. Brute (Natural) facts that exist independent of human existence (water); 2. Institutional facts - come to existence bcs of our collective intentions towards them that give them meaning (money, churches, firms)

Hermeneutics

it is about understanding a phenomenon in terms of their meaning, taking the 1 person's perspective on the phenomenon studied

Two foundational concepts in hermeneutics

Sense making; Enactment

Sense Making as hermeneutical concept

ongoing, often retrospective interpretation of the meaning of actions; sense making entails developing one's intentions

Enactment as a hermeneutical concept

affirming or giving meaning to the world by acting on one's intentions. This can be achieved through infusing the world with collective intentionality and institutional facts

Epistemological implications

the social ontology institutions requires a first person's perspective to make sense of them; social meaning has a "rule-like" nature; social phenomena can serve both as explanans and explanandum in explaining social reality

Normative Framework

based on logic of appropriateness; actors believe that the institutions exemplifies the appropriate thing to do; normative expectations enter into equation

Cognitive framework

based on logic of orthodoxy; actors just believe that "this is the way the world works"; beliefs are taken for granted and alternatives are often not even conceived; however beliefs held need not be true as a matter of fact