Conventional Realism and Political Inquiry

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Publisher : University of Chicago Press
ISBN 13 : 022666127X
Total Pages : 201 pages
Book Rating : 4.2/5 (266 download)

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Book Synopsis Conventional Realism and Political Inquiry by : John G. Gunnell

Download or read book Conventional Realism and Political Inquiry written by John G. Gunnell and published by University of Chicago Press. This book was released on 2020-02-10 with total page 201 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: When social scientists and social theorists turn to the work of philosophers for intellectual and practical authority, they typically assume that truth, reality, and meaning are to be found outside rather than within our conventional discursive practices. John G. Gunnell argues for conventional realism as a theory of social phenomena and an approach to the study of politics. Drawing on Wittgenstein’s critique of “mentalism” and traditional realism, Gunnell argues that everything we designate as “real” is rendered conventionally, which entails a rejection of the widely accepted distinction between what is natural and what is conventional. The terms “reality” and “world” have no meaning outside the contexts of specific claims and assumptions about what exists and how it behaves. And rather than a mysterious source and repository of prelinguistic meaning, the “mind” is simply our linguistic capacities. Taking readers through contemporary forms of mentalism and realism in both philosophy and American political science and theory, Gunnell also analyzes the philosophical challenges to these positions mounted by Wittgenstein and those who can be construed as his successors.

Social Inquiry After Wittgenstein and Kuhn

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Publisher : Columbia University Press
ISBN 13 : 0231538340
Total Pages : 279 pages
Book Rating : 4.2/5 (315 download)

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Book Synopsis Social Inquiry After Wittgenstein and Kuhn by : John G. Gunnell

Download or read book Social Inquiry After Wittgenstein and Kuhn written by John G. Gunnell and published by Columbia University Press. This book was released on 2014-11-04 with total page 279 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A distinctive feature of Ludwig Wittgenstein's work after 1930 was his turn to a conception of philosophy as a form of social inquiry, John G. Gunnell argues, and Thomas Kuhn's approach to the philosophy of science exemplified this conception. In this book, Gunnell shows how these philosophers address foundational issues in the social and human sciences, particularly the vision of social inquiry as an interpretive endeavor and the distinctive cognitive and practical relationship between social inquiry and its subject matter. Gunnell speaks directly to philosophers and practitioners of the social and human sciences. He tackles the demarcation between natural and social science; the nature of social phenomena; the concept and method of interpretation; the relationship between language and thought; the problem of knowledge of other minds; and the character of descriptive and normative judgments about practices that are the object of inquiry. Though Wittgenstein and Kuhn are often criticized as initiating a modern descent into relativism, this book shows that the true effect of their work was to undermine the basic assumptions of contemporary social and human science practice. It also problematized the authority of philosophy and other forms of social inquiry to specify the criteria for judging such matters as truth and justice. When Wittgenstein stated that "philosophy leaves everything as it is," he did not mean that philosophy would be left as it was or that philosophy would have no impact on what it studied, but rather that the activity of inquiry did not, simply by virtue of its performance, transform the object of inquiry.

Political Learning in Adulthood

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Publisher : University of Chicago Press
ISBN 13 : 9780226756936
Total Pages : 496 pages
Book Rating : 4.7/5 (569 download)

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Book Synopsis Political Learning in Adulthood by : Roberta S. Sigel

Download or read book Political Learning in Adulthood written by Roberta S. Sigel and published by University of Chicago Press. This book was released on 1989 with total page 496 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In the wake of World War II, the issues of political stability in general and the survival of stable democracies in particular captured the attention of American political scientists. An inevitable offshoot of this interest was the study of political behavior--how it is acquired and how and why it persists. In its early stages, work on political socialization focused exclusively on childhood and adolescence, as if the learning process ends when adulthood begins. Only recently has adult socialization emerged as a legitimate field of study within political science. In Political Learning in Adulthood, social scientists for the first time examine the changes in political outlook and behavior that take place during the adult years, providing an invaluable overview of the problems, theories, and methodological approaches that characterize the field of political socialization. They consider which political values remain constant and which are subject to change, and they explore the ways in which both ordinary and extraordinary life events affect adults' political worldviews. Among specific topics considered are the effects of age and aging, the relation between participation in the work force and the development and expression of political views, continuity and change in the wake of revolutionary social and political movements, and the effects of such traumatic and life-threatening situations as war and terrorist activity.

Imagining the American Polity, Second Edition

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Publisher :
ISBN 13 : 9781438495897
Total Pages : 0 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (958 download)

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Book Synopsis Imagining the American Polity, Second Edition by : John G Gunnell

Download or read book Imagining the American Polity, Second Edition written by John G Gunnell and published by . This book was released on 2024-10-02 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Traces the history of the concept of democracy in the United States.

Imagining the American Polity

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Publisher :
ISBN 13 : 9781438495880
Total Pages : 0 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (958 download)

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Book Synopsis Imagining the American Polity by : John G. Gunnell

Download or read book Imagining the American Polity written by John G. Gunnell and published by . This book was released on 2024 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Americans have long prided themselves on living in a country that serves as a beacon of democracy to the world, but from the time of the founding they have also engaged in debates over what the criteria for democracy are as they seek to validate their faith in the United States as a democratic regime. In this book John Gunnell shows how the academic discipline of political science has contributed in a major way to this ongoing dialogue, thereby playing a significant role in political education and the formulation of popular conceptions of American democracy. Gunnell traces the dynamics of conceptual change and continuity as American political science evolved from a focus in the nineteenth century on the idea of the state, through the emergence of a pluralist theory of democracy in the 1920s and its transfiguration into liberalism in the mid- 1930s, up to the rearticulation of pluralist theory in the 1950s and its resurgence, yet again, in the 1990s. Along the way he explores how political scientists have grappled with a fundamental question about popular sovereignty: Does democracy require a people and a national democratic community, or can the requisites of democracy be achieved through fortuitous social configurations coupled with the design of certain institutional mechanisms?

Hyperpolitics

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Publisher : University of Chicago Press
ISBN 13 : 0226091023
Total Pages : 267 pages
Book Rating : 4.2/5 (26 download)

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Book Synopsis Hyperpolitics by : Mauro Calise

Download or read book Hyperpolitics written by Mauro Calise and published by University of Chicago Press. This book was released on 2010-10 with total page 267 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Hyperpolitics is an appealing book in print format that is enhanced by an interactive Web version . Calise (Univ. of Naples Federico II) and Lowi (Cornell Univ.) define a hyperdictionary as a dictionary that uses a "method for unpacking a dense concept by separating out its components ... a method of concept analysis." Hyperpolitics provides an innovative way of defining political science topics. It is a dictionary, so readers can look up concepts that are organized in alphabetical order. Using the Web site, users can also, for instance, move from a definition to its "Sources"--"summaries from other dictionaries and online bibliographical sources." The 67 terms are divided into main concepts, short entries, and cross-entries. The 18 main subjects include terms like "citizen," "law," and "pluralism." The 17 short entries cover subjects such as "choice," "majority," and "participation." Finally, the 32 cross-entries feature concepts like "class," "conflict," and "democracy," with matrices linking them to other concepts. The book is very visual, which should appeal to students. However, the matrices lend themselves very naturally to the Web, where many readers will find additional value. The Web site includes a users' guide. Summing Up: Recommended. Lower-division undergraduates through researchers/faculty. Lower-division Undergraduates; Upper-division Undergraduates; Graduate Students; Researchers/Faculty. Reviewed by K. N. Djorup.

Thinking Like a Political Scientist

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Publisher : University of Chicago Press
ISBN 13 : 022632768X
Total Pages : 240 pages
Book Rating : 4.2/5 (263 download)

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Book Synopsis Thinking Like a Political Scientist by : Christopher Howard

Download or read book Thinking Like a Political Scientist written by Christopher Howard and published by University of Chicago Press. This book was released on 2017-03-07 with total page 240 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “A compelling case for transforming how research methods are taught to undergraduate students of political science.” —London School of Economics Review of Books Each year, tens of thousands of students who are interested in politics go through a rite of passage: they take a course in research methods. Many find the subject to be boring or confusing, and with good reason. Most of the standard books on research methods fail to highlight the most important concepts and questions. Instead, they brim with dry technical definitions and focus heavily on statistical analysis, slighting other valuable methods. This approach prevents students from mastering the skills they need to engage more directly and meaningfully with a wide variety of research. With wit and practical wisdom, Christopher Howard draws on more than a decade of experience teaching research methods to transform a typically dreary subject and teach budding political scientists the critical skills they need to read published research more effectively and produce better research of their own. The first part of the book is devoted to asking three fundamental questions in political science: What happened? Why? Who cares? In the second section, Howard demonstrates how to answer these questions by choosing an appropriate research design, selecting cases, and working with numbers and written documents as evidence. Drawing on examples from American and comparative politics, international relations, and public policy, Thinking Like a Political Scientist highlights the most common challenges that political scientists routinely face, and each chapter concludes with exercises so that students can practice dealing with those challenges.

The Rebirth of Classical Political Rationalism

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Publisher : University of Chicago Press
ISBN 13 : 0226777154
Total Pages : 325 pages
Book Rating : 4.2/5 (267 download)

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Book Synopsis The Rebirth of Classical Political Rationalism by : Leo Strauss

Download or read book The Rebirth of Classical Political Rationalism written by Leo Strauss and published by University of Chicago Press. This book was released on 1989-01-15 with total page 325 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This concise and accessible introduction to Strauss's thought provides, for wider audience, a bridge to his more complex theoretical work. Editor Pangle has gathered five of Strauss's previously unpublished lectures and five hard-to-find published writings and has arranged them so as to demonstrate the systematic progression of the major themes that underlay Strauss's mature work. "[These essays] display the incomparable insight and remarkable range of knowledge that set Strauss's works apart from any other twentieth-century philosopher's."—Charles R. Kesler, National Review

Reading Leo Strauss

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Publisher : University of Chicago Press
ISBN 13 : 0226763900
Total Pages : 269 pages
Book Rating : 4.2/5 (267 download)

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Book Synopsis Reading Leo Strauss by : Steven B. Smith

Download or read book Reading Leo Strauss written by Steven B. Smith and published by University of Chicago Press. This book was released on 2007-03-01 with total page 269 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Interest in Leo Strauss is greater now than at any time since his death, mostly because of the purported link between his thought and the political movement known as neoconservatism. Steven B. Smith, though, surprisingly depicts Strauss not as the high priest of neoconservatism but as a friend of liberal democracy—perhaps the best defender democracy has ever had. Moreover, in Reading Leo Strauss, Smith shows that Strauss’s defense of liberal democracy was closely connected to his skepticism of both the extreme Left and extreme Right. Smith asserts that this philosophical skepticism defined Strauss’s thought. It was as a skeptic, Smith argues, that Strauss considered the seemingly irreconcilable conflict between reason and revelation—a conflict Strauss dubbed the “theologico-political problem.” Calling this problem “the theme of my investigations,” Strauss asked the same fundamental question throughout his life: what is the relation of the political order to revelation in general and Judaism in particular? Smith organizes his book with this question, first addressing Strauss’s views on religion and then examining his thought on philosophical and political issues. In his investigation of these philosophical and political issues, Smith assesses Strauss’s attempt to direct the teaching of political science away from the examination of mass behavior and interest group politics and toward the study of the philosophical principles on which politics are based. With his provocative, lucid essays, Smith goes a long way toward establishing a distinctive form of Straussian liberalism.

The Descent of Political Theory

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Publisher : University of Chicago Press
ISBN 13 : 9780226310800
Total Pages : 348 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (18 download)

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Book Synopsis The Descent of Political Theory by : John G. Gunnell

Download or read book The Descent of Political Theory written by John G. Gunnell and published by University of Chicago Press. This book was released on 1993-12 with total page 348 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This provocative work reveals the origins and development of political theory as it is presently understood—and misunderstood. Tracing the evolution of the field from the nineteenth century to the present, John G. Gunnell shows how current controversies, like those over liberalism or the relationship of theory to practice, are actually the unresolved legacy of a forgotten past. By uncovering this past, Gunnell exposes the forces that animate and structure political theory today. Gunnell reconstructs the evolution of the field by locating it within the broader development of political science and American social science in general. During the behavioral revolution that swept political science in the 1950s, the relationship between political theory and political science changed dramatically, relegating theory to the margins of an increasingly empirical discipline. Gunnell demonstrates that the estrangement of political theory is rooted in a much older quarrel: the authority of knowledge versus political theory is rooted in a much older quarrel: the authority of knowledge versus political authority, academic versus public discourse. By disclosing the origin of this dispute, he opens the way for a clearer understanding of the basis and purpose of political theory. As critical as it is revelatory, this thoughtful book should be read by any one interested in the history of political theory or science—or in the relationship of social science to political practice in the United States.

What is Political Philosophy? And Other Studies

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Publisher : University of Chicago Press
ISBN 13 : 9780226777139
Total Pages : 324 pages
Book Rating : 4.7/5 (771 download)

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Book Synopsis What is Political Philosophy? And Other Studies by : Leo Strauss

Download or read book What is Political Philosophy? And Other Studies written by Leo Strauss and published by University of Chicago Press. This book was released on 1988-10-15 with total page 324 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "All political action has . . . in itself a directedness towards knowledge of the good: of the good life, or of the good society. For the good society is the complete political good. If this directedness becomes explicit, if men make it their explicit goal to acquire knowledge of the good life and of the good society, political philosophy emerges. . . . The theme of political philosophy is mankind's great objectives, freedom and government or empire—objectives which are capable of lifting all men beyond their poor selves. Political philosophy is that branch of philosophy which is closest to political life, to non-philosophic life, to human life."—From "What Is Political Philosophy?" What Is Political Philosophy?—a collection of ten essays and lectures and sixteen book reviews written between 1943 and 1957—contains some of Leo Strauss's most famous writings and some of his most explicit statements of the themes that made him famous. The title essay records Strauss's sole extended articulation of the meaning of political philosophy itself. Other essays discuss the relation of political philosophy to history, give an account of the political philosophy of the non-Christian Middle Ages and of classic European modernity, and present his theory of esoteric writing.

Carl Schmitt and Leo Strauss

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Publisher : University of Chicago Press
ISBN 13 : 9780226518893
Total Pages : 166 pages
Book Rating : 4.5/5 (188 download)

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Book Synopsis Carl Schmitt and Leo Strauss by : Heinrich Meier

Download or read book Carl Schmitt and Leo Strauss written by Heinrich Meier and published by University of Chicago Press. This book was released on 1995-11 with total page 166 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In 1932 political philosopher Leo Strauss published a critical review of The Concept of the Political that earned him Schmitt's respect and initiated an extremely subtle interchange between Schmitt and Strauss regarding Schmitt's critique of liberalism. Although Schmitt never answered Strauss publicly, in the third edition of his book he changed key passages in response to Strauss's criticisms without ever acknowledging them.

Redeeming American Political Thought

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Publisher : University of Chicago Press
ISBN 13 : 9780226753478
Total Pages : 238 pages
Book Rating : 4.7/5 (534 download)

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Book Synopsis Redeeming American Political Thought by : Judith N. Shklar

Download or read book Redeeming American Political Thought written by Judith N. Shklar and published by University of Chicago Press. This book was released on 1998-02-03 with total page 238 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A collection of thirteen essays on American political thought.

Politics and the Architecture of Choice

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Publisher : University of Chicago Press
ISBN 13 : 9780226406374
Total Pages : 256 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (63 download)

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Book Synopsis Politics and the Architecture of Choice by : Bryan D. Jones

Download or read book Politics and the Architecture of Choice written by Bryan D. Jones and published by University of Chicago Press. This book was released on 2001-05 with total page 256 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Politics and the Architecture of Choice draws on work in political science, economics, cognitive science, and psychology to offer an innovative theory of how people and organizations adapt to change and why these adaptations don't always work. Our decision-making capabilities, Jones argues, are both rational and adaptive. But because our rationality is bounded and our adaptability limited, our actions are not based simply on objective information from our environments. Instead, we overemphasize some factors and neglect others, and our inherited limitations—such as short-term memory capacity—all act to affect our judgment. Jones shows how we compensate for and replicate these limitations in groups by linking the behavioral foundations of human nature to the operation of large-scale organizations in modern society. Situating his argument within the current debate over the rational choice model of human behavior, Jones argues that we should begin with rationality as a standard and then study the uniquely human ways in which we deviate from it.

Politics Without Vision

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Publisher : University of Chicago Press
ISBN 13 : 0226777464
Total Pages : 423 pages
Book Rating : 4.2/5 (267 download)

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Book Synopsis Politics Without Vision by : Tracy B. Strong

Download or read book Politics Without Vision written by Tracy B. Strong and published by University of Chicago Press. This book was released on 2012-04-20 with total page 423 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Politics without Vision takes up the thought of seven influential thinkers, each of whom attempted to construct a political solution to this problem: Nietzsche, Weber, Freud, Lenin, Schmitt, Heidegger, and Arendt. None of these theorists were liberals nor, excepting possibly Arendt, were they democrats—and some might even be said to have served as handmaidens to totalitarianism. And all to a greater or lesser extent shared the common conviction that the institutions and practices of liberalism are inadequate to the demands and stresses of the present times. In examining their thought, Strong acknowledges the political evil that some of their ideas served to foster but argues that these were not necessarily the only paths their explorations could have taken. By uncovering the turning points in their thought—and the paths not taken—Strong strives to develop a political theory that can avoid, and perhaps help explain, the mistakes of the past while furthering the democratic impulse.

Republic of Signs

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Publisher : University of Chicago Press
ISBN 13 : 9780226595122
Total Pages : 216 pages
Book Rating : 4.5/5 (951 download)

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Book Synopsis Republic of Signs by : Anne Norton

Download or read book Republic of Signs written by Anne Norton and published by University of Chicago Press. This book was released on 1993-11-15 with total page 216 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Norton examines the enactment of liberal ideas in popular culture; in the possessions of ordinary people and the habits of everyday life. She sees liberalism as the common sense of the American people: a set of conventions unconsciously adhered to, a set of principles silently taken for granted. The author ranges over a wide expanse of popular activities (e.g. wrestling, roller derby, lotteries, shopping sprees, and dining out), as well as conventional political topics (e.g., the Constitution, presidency, news media, and centrality of law). Yet the argument is pointed and probling, never shallow or superficial. Fred and Wilma Flintstone are as vital to the republic as Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt. "In discussions that range from the Constitution and the presidency to money and shopping, voting, lotteries, and survey research, Norton discerns and imaginatively invents possibilities that exceed recognized actualities and already approved opportunities."—Richard E. Flathman, American Political Science Review "[S]timulating and stylish exploration of political theory, language, culture, and shopping at the mall . . . popular culture at its best, informed by history and theory, serious in purpose, yet witty and modest in tone."—Bernard Mergen, American Studies International

The Conduct of Inquiry in International Relations

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Publisher : Routledge
ISBN 13 : 1136912029
Total Pages : 665 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (369 download)

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Book Synopsis The Conduct of Inquiry in International Relations by : Patrick Thaddeus Jackson

Download or read book The Conduct of Inquiry in International Relations written by Patrick Thaddeus Jackson and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2010-07-19 with total page 665 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This volume ws the winner of The International Studies Association Theory Section Book Award 2013, presented by the International Studies Association and The Yale H. Ferguson Award 2012, presented by International Studies Association-Northeast. There are many different scientifically valid ways to produce knowledge. The field of International Relations should pay closer attention to these methodological differences, and to their implications for concrete research on world politics. The Conduct of Inquiry in International Relations provides an introduction to the philosophy of science issues and their implications for the study of global politics. The author draws attention to the problems caused by the misleading notion of a single unified scientific method, and proposes a framework that clarifies the variety of ways that IR scholars establish the authority and validity of their empirical claims. Jackson connects philosophical considerations with concrete issues of research design within neopositivist, critical realist, analyticist, and reflexive approaches to the study of world politics. Envisioning a pluralist science for a global IR field, this volume organizes the significant differences between methodological stances so as to promote internal consistency, public discussion, and worldly insight as the hallmarks of any scientific study of world politics. This important volume will be essential reading for all students and scholars of International Relations, Political Science and Philosophy of Science.