The Normative Foundations of Emancipatory Theory: Evolutionary Versus Pragmatic Perspectives

Antonio, Robert J.

doi:10.1086/229066

Cited by 50 publications

(22 citation statements)

References 47 publications

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“…Critical or emancipatory theory need not be based upon developmental assumptions (Antonio 1989). In fact, avoiding the categorical and normative foreclosures (Mc-Michael 2010) associated with both liberal and radical theories of development is crucial to the empowerment of local and indigenous groups.…”

Section: Rejecting Foundationalismmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Second Darwinian Revolution: Steps Toward a New Evolutionary Environmental Sociology

McLaughlin¹

2012

Nature and Culture

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Three decades after Dunlap's (1978, 1980) pioneering work, the promise and potential of environmental sociology remain unrealized. Despite the proliferation of theoretical frameworks and empirical foci, a "new ecological paradigm" capable of theorizing the interactions between social structures, human agency, and biophysical environments has yet to emerge. I explore this impasse by tracing the parallels between the Darwinian revolution and recent shifts in metatheoretical assumptions within environmental and mainstream sociology and related disciplines. These parallels suggest that the social sciences are in the midst of a second Darwinian revolution. A fuller appreciation of this intellectual convergence can provide the first steps toward a new evolutionary environmental sociology.

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Section: Rejecting Foundationalismmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Second Darwinian Revolution: Steps Toward a New Evolutionary Environmental Sociology

McLaughlin¹

2012

Nature and Culture

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Section: Inquirymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…More than a search for facts (truth), we inquire to discover what works in advancing this broader agenda. The values of pragmatism thus, in large part, guide inquiry in the American cultural tradition (Antonio, 1989).While values guide why we pursue systematic inquiry, how we inquire is a matter of epistemology. Rules for how we go about systematically acquiring knowledge in the service of American society are anchored in basic philosophical assumptions conceming the nature of what we take to be "reality" and our respective position in relationship to it.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

The Relationship of Inquiry to Public Policy

Sailor

Stowe

2003

Research and Practice for Persons with Severe Disabilities

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In westem democracies, public policy has traditionally been informed by inquiry. Examples of this dependent relationship abound in public health and in education. When evidence of deleterious effects on health emerged from research on cigarette smoking, laws were passed to regulate and restrict the tobacco industry. When evidence from systematic inquiry revealed that persons with extensive social and academic support needs could significantly benefit from public education, public policy responded with passage of the Education of the Handicapped Act amendments of 1974. Valuesdriven questions of social importance arise; research is undertaken to extend knowledge that bears on the questions; and resultant evidence from research informs public policy to deal with the questions of interest.Recently, the nature of the relationship of policy and inquiry has undergone a dramatic and important shift. With passage of No Child Left Behind (NCLB) and accompanying educational legislation at the federal level, policy has begun to not only inform inquiry, but also to restrict it. NCLB has written the process by which inquiry into the education of America's children should occur directly into law and has thus made inquiry itself a matter of policy. In this brief essay, we examine the nature of inquiry and how it has evolved in American culture. We next briefly examine the issue of "evidence" and the importance of how it is defined, both for inquiry and for its application in public policy. From this discussion, we consider the role of policy in inquiry and the implications of altering the traditional relationship of policy to inquiry. InquiryHere we are concerned with knowledge. How do we know what we think we know? How can we separate what is true from what is false? What are the premises or assumptions that underlie such a task? What are the rules that must be agreed upon to undertake these inquiries? And how do we apply the fruits of our quest for knowledge in the service of our society (if indeed that is our purpose)?Address all correspondence and requests for reprints to Wayne Sailor, University of Kansas, 1200 Sunnyside, Haworth Hall rm. 3136, Lawrence, KS 66045-7534. E-mail: wsailor@ ku.edu Inquiry is a values-driven process. In the time of Plato, pursuit of knowledge was its own reward. Inquiry was the pathway to divinity. The American culture of inquiry is tempered by pragmatism (i.e., Peirce, 1934;James, 1975;Dewey, 1976). In America, inquiry rests on an assumption of the benefits of knowledge in the service of society. We seek knowledge to make life better. More than a search for facts (truth), we inquire to discover what works in advancing this broader agenda. The values of pragmatism thus, in large part, guide inquiry in the American cultural tradition (Antonio, 1989).While values guide why we pursue systematic inquiry, how we inquire is a matter of epistemology. Rules for how we go about systematically acquiring knowledge in the service of American society are anchored in basic philosophical assumptions conceming ...

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“…Luhmann (1982: 255-271) seems to understand the Darwinian position, but adopts a form of systems analysis that is inconsistent with an evolutionary analysis of the sort we intend. Habermas (1979; see also Antonio 1989;Brulle 1992) emphasizes the discursive processes that generate and reshape culture, but his stages reflect not an evolutionary approach but rather an evolutionist view.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Human Agency and the Evolutionary Dynamics of Culture

Dietz

Burns

1992

Acta Sociologica

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Agency has long been an important topic in sociological theory. Recently, sociologists have devoted attention to new models of cultural evolution drawn from a variety of disciplines. This paper examines the role of agency in evolutionary theory. We begin by distinguishing evolutionary theory from developmental theories that are usually identified with evolution in discussions of social theory. We then offer an approach to agency and to power grounded in social rule systems theory. These discussions provide a context to definition of agency as effective, intentional, unconstrained and reflexive action by individual or collective actors. Using contemporary evolutionary theory, we consider the circumstances under which individual and collective action can meet these requirements and thus be considered agentic.

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The Normative Foundations of Emancipatory Theory: Evolutionary Versus Pragmatic Perspectives

Cited by 50 publications

References 47 publications

The Second Darwinian Revolution: Steps Toward a New Evolutionary Environmental Sociology

The Second Darwinian Revolution: Steps Toward a New Evolutionary Environmental Sociology

The Relationship of Inquiry to Public Policy

Human Agency and the Evolutionary Dynamics of Culture

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