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1 2 Scientific Paradigms

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12 views19 pages

1 2 Scientific Paradigms

Uploaded by

Sophia Lindholm
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Key concepts in

philosophy of science

Scientific paradigms

Rasmus Helles
2

Agenda

Review
Research paradigms as a concept

KNIME & exercises

Logics of inquiry

The relationship between research paradigms and logics of inquiry

Summary

Preview
06/09/2024 3

Review

• Ontological considerations
• What is an ontology?
• What is its implications to our approach to the object of research?

• Epistemological considerations
• What is an epistemology?
• What is its implications to our approach to the object of research?

• What is the relationship between ontology, epistemology and


methodology?
06/09/2024 4
06/09/2024 5

Research paradigms as a concept

• Classic philosophy of science • Kuhns research paradigms


• Grounded in philosophical thinking • Grounded in historical and empirical
• Defines and scientific knowledge in studies of scientific revolutions
terms of general philosophical ideals • Defines scientific knowledge i forms of
• Karl Popper and critical rationalism worldviews shared in research
communities
• John Dewey and pragmatics
06/09/2024 6

What is a paradigm according to Kuhn

Shared assumptions in a Ontological and epistemological

community of researchers assumptions Exemplary studies and


research approaches

From Newton to Einstein in the field of


Different implications in physics physics: Scientific revolutions imply a shift
from one paradigm to another
and social sciences Social sciences as a ’multiparadigmatic
field: Several paradigms exist in parallel
06/09/2024 6

Paradigmatic differences – example


from communication theory

Communication as Messages = information

transmission AàB
Noise

”Messages” ≈ shared performance


Communication as ritual
Participants
Successful maintenance of social order
06/09/2024 7

Key concepts in Kuhns paradigm

Normal science is conducted within particular


paradigms during times of stability
Normal sciences and anomalies Anomalies are unsolvable problems that increasingly
challenge the stability of current paradigms

Researchers don’t just give up Unstable paradigms continue until proper alternatives
their paradigms (replacement paradigms) are introduced

Concept are defined differently across paradigms and


Incommensurability cannot be properly translated
06/09/2024 8

Anomalies: The orbit of Mercury


06/09/2024 9

Uncommensurability: The example of gravity

Newton's law of universal


gravitation
• Mass attracts mass. The force of gravity
between two entities can be calculated as
the product of the masses of these entitites

Gravity explained with Einstein’s


theory of relativity
• Gravity is a result of the warping of space-
time. What we see as gravity is space
curving around our planet.
06/09/2024 10

INCOMMENSURABILITY IN THE SOCIAL SCIENCES

• Not quite as radical:


• ‘While Kuhn may have overstated
the case for incommensurability of
paradigms, the relevance of
paradgims to research cannot be
overstated’ (Blaikie & Priest p 8-9)
• Yet, we must define our concepts in
the context of our research paradigm
• What do we mean when we say
‘communication’?
Dette billede efter Ukendt forfatter er licenseret under CC BY
06/09/2024 11

SHORT TWO-BY-TWO EXERCISE


• List 2-3 texts that are top of mind
from your course in basic
communication theory
• What are their diverse approaches
to the concept of communication?
• Can they be combined or are they
in conflict?

Dette billede efter Ukendt forfatter er licenseret under CC BY


06/09/2024 11

KNIME?
06/09/2024 13

Logics of Inquiry (Blaike & Priest p. 13)

• Inductive logic: From data to general descriptions/theories


• Deductive logic: From identified regularities/theories to data
• Abductive logic: Iterative proces of typification and
abstraction combining induction and deduction. Movement
from lay descriptions to social scientific descriptions
• Retroductive logic: Documenting and modelling regularities
combining induction and deduction. Movement from known
regularity to unknown explanatory mechanism
06/09/2024 14

Short two-by-two exercise

Think of a recent episode where something surprised you

How did you explain it?

Was it an instance of inductive og deductive reasoning?


06/09/2024 15

Logics of Inquiry (Blaike & Priest p. 13)

Neo-Positivism principally
uses deductive logics

Interpretivism principally
uses abductive logics

Critical realism principally


uses retroductive logic
06/09/2024 16

Summing up

Check your notes and compare with the fellow students next to you

What are the relations between


What is a scietific paradigm? What are logics of inquiry?
paradigms and logics of inquiry?

Is there anything we should we should revisit in coming lectures?


06/09/2024 17

Preview: Next weeks lectures

Tuesday: Ontology and epistemology

Friday: The role of theory in science

Readings

• Read Sonne-Ragan with an emphasis on the


part that define philosophy of science
(particularly ontology, epistemology,
materialism, idealism). The article covers a lot of
ground and you don’t have to understand
everything in detail.
• Also, have a look and Humphries’ article from
basic communication thepory and consider how
well/badly it fits the general division between
sciences (Sonne-Ragans 199-203)

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