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Ontology and Epistemology - Coggle Diagram
Ontology and Epistemology
Ontology
questions the nature of being
foundationalism/objectivism/realism
posits a real world, independent of our knowledge of it
criticism
understanding of ontology entails a probablistic, rather than absolutist, account of causality
epistemological substrands
epistemological positivists
doesn't recognize that which realists do
shares the assumption that causality operates independently of the observer and can be established objectively
denies the existence of unobservable structures
is concerned to establish causal relationships between social phenomena
adheres to a foundationalist ontology
epistemological realists
emphasize the role that theory plays in any interpretation of the causal power of any structure or institution in that real world
real-world effect on actions is mediated by ideas
critical realism
5 more items...
characteristics
posits the existence of objective, absolute and unconditional truths
the world is composed of discreet objects which possess properties that are independent of the observer
anti-foundationalism/constructivism/relativism
treats the world as always socially constructed
characteristics
reality is constructed rather than discovered
reality is socially constructed, but while its individuals reflect on it, their views are shaped by social, political, and cultural processes
realities are local and specific; they vary between individuals and between groups
there is a real world out there, but it is irrelevant, since it has no causal power on social action independent of people's understanding of it
epistemological positions
scientific
empiricist
focus on identifying the causes of social behavior
emphasis on statistical explanation
allowed the development of standard rules
under a given set of conditions, there would be regular and predictable outcomes
very much influenced by logical positivism
"to detect the regularities in nature, propose a generalisation, deduce what it implies for the next case and observe whether the prediction succeeds. If it does, no consequent action is needed; if it does not, then either discard the generalization or amend it and (test the) fresh (predictions)"
hermeneutic
characteristics
focus on the meaning of behaviour
emphasis on understanding rather than explaining
establishing causal relationship between phenomena that hold across time and space is not possible
anti-foundationalist
believes the world is socially constructed
interpretivism
criticize the ontological claims of realism
no structures that are independent of social action
No objective basis on which to observe the actions
claims that structures cause social action are rejected on both ontological and epistemological grounds
Epistemology
questions what we can know about the world
2 key questions
Can the observer identify real or objective relations between social phenomena?
2 issues
Is there "objective"?
"No?" -> double hermeneutic
1st hermeneutic level: the world is interpreted by actors
2nd hermeneutic level: their interpretation is interpreted by the observer
Can an observer identify it?
If so, how? (frame of reference?)
Relationship Ontology & Epistemology
Poststructuralists Deborah Dixon & Jean Paul Jones III
"ontological assumptions put the cart before the horse, for ontology is itself grounded in epistemology about what we know 'what the world is like'"
the analysis of ontology invariably shows it to rest upon epistemological priors that enable claims about the structure of the real world."
Spencer
ontology can't be reduced to epistemology
if it is, everything becomes thought/discourse and social structures/the material world has no causal power
not claiming that ideas/discourses do not affect how the 'real world' impacts agents/groups, but only that these are ideas/discourses about 'real', extra-discursive social phenomena
Colin Hay
inability to prove ontological position, or the relationship between O & E
adopt a position and be consistent, acknowledge it is contested
"Ontology relates to the nature of the social and political world, and epistemology to what we can know about it, so ontology is logically prior in the sense that the 'it' in the second term is, and can only be, specified by the first."
why does it matter?
shape the way the researcher conceives the relationship between theory and practice
determine the role of theory in empirical research
affect what the researcher expects to achieve through her empirical research