Differentiation, participation and cohesion

Bunge, Mario; Sucre, Máximo García

doi:10.1007/bf00144167

Cited by 13 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 2 publications

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“…For example, one and the same system of equations may describe cooperation and competition among organisms, in particular people, or among chemicals (see, e.g., Bunge 1976). Likewise, mechanisms of the so-called ying-yang kind-made up of couples of entities with opposing functions, such as stimulation and inhibition, or oxidation and reduction-are "instantiated" by molecules, neurons, social systems, and more.…”

Section: Mechanism and Functionmentioning

confidence: 99%

How Does It Work?

Bunge

2004

Philosophy of the Social Sciences

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407

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This article addresses the following problems: What is a mechanism, how can it be discovered, and what is the role of the knowledge of mechanisms in scientific explanation and technological control? The proposed answers are these. A mechanism is one of the processes in a concrete system that makes it what it isfor example, metabolism in cells, interneuronal connections in brains, work in factories and offices, research in laboratories, and litigation in courts of law. Because mechanisms are largely or totally imperceptible, they must be conjectured. Once hypothesized they help explain, because a deep scientific explanation is an answer to a question of the form, "How does it work, that is, what makes it tick-what are its mechanisms?" Thus, by contrast with the subsumption of particulars under a generalization, an explanation proper consists in unveiling some lawful mechanism, as when political stability is explained by either coercion, public opinion manipulation, or democratic participation. Finding mechanisms satisfies not only the yearning for understanding, but also the need for control.

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Section: Mechanism and Functionmentioning

confidence: 99%

How Does It Work?

Bunge

2004

Philosophy of the Social Sciences

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407

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“…Science goes beyond ordinary knowledge; in particular, it explains the familiar by the unfamiliar. We also need a theory of social integration and its dual, social marginality, not only to better understand what keeps social systems going, but also to identify the mechanisms of social disintegration (see Bunge and García-Sucre 1976 for a formal theory of social cohesion centered in participation).…”

Section: Do Psychology and The Philosophy Of Mind Play Any Role In Social Science?mentioning

confidence: 99%

Clarifying Some Misunderstandings about Social Systems and their Mechanisms

Bunge

2004

Philosophy of the Social Sciences

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“…(viii) The cohesiveness of a community is kept by the active participation of its members in various groups or activities, and decreases with segregation (Bunge and Garcia-Sucre 1976).…”

Section: Social Sciencementioning

confidence: 99%