Central Department of Public Administration CDPA Tribhuvan University

Central Department of Public Administration (CDPA), Tribhuvan University (TU), Nepal Philosophy of Social Science

Central Department of Public Administration (CDPA), Tribhuvan University (TU), Nepal Methods of Research There is a confusing array of possible methods of research both within and across the social sciences.

Central Department of Public Administration (CDPA), Tribhuvan University (TU), Nepal General aim To cover key issues in the philosophy and history of the social sciences from the perspective of the practicing social science researcher.

Central Department of Public Administration (CDPA), Tribhuvan University (TU), Nepal Objectives • To explore issues in the philosophy of the social sciences – That directly impinge upon practical social science research. • To explore the historical trajectory of the social sciences, – inclusive of contemporary debates around – interdisciplinary social science research.

Central Department of Public Administration (CDPA), Tribhuvan University (TU), Nepal Starting with …in the journey of Philosophy of Social Science

Central Department of Public Administration (CDPA), Tribhuvan University (TU), Nepal Knowledge Claim If you claim to know something, could you make others to accept it as you accept it ?

Central Department of Public Administration (CDPA), Tribhuvan University (TU), Nepal Confidence How much do you believe upon your own beliefs?

Central Department of Public Administration (CDPA), Tribhuvan University (TU), Nepal Your Assumption Whether reality is “the product of one’s mind” or it is quite different having objectivity?

Central Department of Public Administration (CDPA), Tribhuvan University (TU), Nepal Your Assumption • Human being controls the surrounding or surrounding controls human being.

Central Department of Public Administration (CDPA), Tribhuvan University (TU), Nepal Belief • Does prime mover exist in the inner workings of the universe or not?

Central Department of Public Administration (CDPA), Tribhuvan University (TU), Nepal Belief • Society is as unified and cohesive (evolves rationally) or society as in constant conflict.

Central Department of Public Administration (CDPA), Tribhuvan University (TU), Nepal The Scientific Method • Philosophy: How we Understand the world • Science: A method for Achieving this goal – Development of theory – Formulation of hypotheses – Predictions – Tests of predictions • Design and Analysis: How we test predictions of hypotheses • Statistics: Tool for quantitative tests

Central Department of Public Administration (CDPA), Tribhuvan University (TU), Nepal Process towards Knowledge • Inquisitiveness –vs – Doubt- Knowledge

Central Department of Public Administration (CDPA), Tribhuvan University (TU), Nepal What is knowledge ? Information? ? Justified True Belief (JTB) Absolute certainty (Infallibilism)? ? ? as opposed to doubt.

Central Department of Public Administration (CDPA), Tribhuvan University (TU), Nepal Types of Knowledge • Personal Knowledge : knowledge by acquaintance • Procedural Knowledge : knowledge how to do something. • Propositional Knowledge : knowledge of facts and philosophers care about

Central Department of Public Administration (CDPA), Tribhuvan University (TU), Nepal Sources of Knowledge Ideas- Knowledge? ? - Truth Innate Ideas ( mind is born with ideas)

Central Department of Public Administration (CDPA), Tribhuvan University (TU), Nepal Source of Knowledge • Sense Perception (Empiricism/Perception) – Observing expert musician • • • Emotion/Intuition Faith Imagination Language/Authority Logics/Reason/ Rationalist

Central Department of Public Administration (CDPA), Tribhuvan University (TU), Nepal Scientific Knowledge • Scientific knowledge - knowledge accumulated by systematic study and organized by general principles • Identification of fact or phenomena acquired through scientific method that include testing, acceptance by others( peer review) , measurement of actual or potential rate of error

Central Department of Public Administration (CDPA), Tribhuvan University (TU), Nepal Branches of Science • • • Parallel Universe? Visible Universe Milky Way: Astronomy Solar System: Astronomy Earth: Geoscience Human Mind: Social Sciences – Sociology, Psychology Cell: Life Sciences – Functional Biology, Cellular Biology Atom: Physical Sciences – Chemistry and Physics Particle: Quantum Physics String Theory? • In Formal Sciences: With Mathematics, Logic – Research Hypothesis Experiment Gater Data Conclusions Publish Research

Central Department of Public Administration (CDPA), Tribhuvan University (TU), Nepal Philosophy of Science • The philosophy of science is the branch of philosophy that critically examines the foundations, methods, products, and implications of the science.

Central Department of Public Administration (CDPA), Tribhuvan University (TU), Nepal Philosophy of Social Science • Concerns with foundational questions about social science knowledge

Central Department of Public Administration (CDPA), Tribhuvan University (TU), Nepal Many questions about scientific knowledge • How do scientists justify their knowledge claims? • How do they proof it? • Are there methods for making scientific discoveries? • How does scientific knowledge advance and grow? • How do the historical and cultural settings in which scientific work occurs affect the content and quality of such works?

Central Department of Public Administration (CDPA), Tribhuvan University (TU), Nepal Knowledge Claims • Nature of knowledge • Scope of knowledge • Correctness and validity of knowledge The answer of such questions belong to philosophy.

Central Department of Public Administration (CDPA), Tribhuvan University (TU), Nepal Philosophy is Unavoidable Philosophy is unavoidable for social scientists because the choices they make in answering questions in their disciplines force them to take sides on philosophical matters.

Central Department of Public Administration (CDPA), Tribhuvan University (TU), Nepal Methods in Natural, Social Sciences and Humanities • Natural Science • – – Process • • • Humanities • • • Explanations of causes Makes laws of universal validity Truth as correspondence – • Hypothetic deductive methods Quantitative methods Social Science – Process • • Explaining causes by actions Laws based on statistical possibility Truth as correspondence Truth as meaning and oherence – Methods • • Hypothetic deductive methods Quantitative methods • Intentional explanations Formulates discourses with individual validity Truth as meaning and coherence Methods • • – Methods • • Process Hermeneutics Qualitative methods Critical view – It’s almost never confined to one or the other. There can be a mix

Central Department of Public Administration (CDPA), Tribhuvan University (TU), Nepal Branches of philosophy of science • Realism – Naïve Realism: the world I see is real. Whar are you all arguing about? – Scientific realism: Science makes real progress in describing real features of the world – Structural Realism: Science has identified real patterns, relationships, and structures (at least within a regime) in nature. – Constructive Empiricism: Science aims to give us theories which are empirically adequate, but does not justify metaphysical claims about reality. • Anti-realism – Instrumentalism: Theoretical concepts may have use in predicting observations, but we have ontological commitments to them – Relativism: Social Constructivism, Epistemological anarchism • Metaphysically – – – Ambitious Apologetic Conservative Constructivist Eliminative Defeatist