From Aristotle to Advocacy: Critical Reflections on the Philosophy and Practice of Social Science Research

Abstract

scientists to identify and refine methods that reflect the characteristics of social rather than natural science, and embrace praxis as a legitimate purpose of research. Scientific Context: The Method Wars RevisitedTo be sure, scientists must respect the methodological guidelines that govern their investigation of phenomena. These rules influence the questions they pose, their interaction with the phenomena to be studied, and ultimately their analysis. For the natural sciences, rigid rules that isolate and protect phenomena from flawed analysis are necessary. These rules, however, are not always easily aligned with the purpose of all social science. By embracing natural science as the methodological model for research, social sciences validate the universal applicability of its rules to their work. Flyvbjerg argues that this artificial emulation of the natural sciences has been detrimental to the social sciences. Some social scientists view the natural science model as antithetical to the study of human behavior in its natural environment. In crafting a more suitable model, social scientists have defined and redefined the process of scientific inquiry by asking:• How is knowledge constructed (