Friedel Weinert: Philosophy of the Social Sciences Year II: Semester II SS2000M

1
Friedel Weinert Philosophy of the Social
SciencesYear II Semester IISS-2000M

• Three Models, Continued
• The Critical Model
• Lecture VII

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Critical Model

• Critical Model A Synthesis between Empirical and
  Interpretative Models
• Social science cannot treat society as an
  undetached object of research combine methods of
  explanation and understanding
• Scientific rationality is not the paradigm of
  rationality in society it is only means-end or
  instrumental rationality
• empirical model preoccupied with instrumental
  rationality
• social sciences should preserve the Enlightenment
  sense of rationality
• the interpretative model, based on a model of
  anthropological understanding, is unable to
  capture the complexity of modern societies
• Critical theory includes A) criticism of
  scientific rationality and B) reflection on
  methodology in Social Sciences.

3
Critical Model Horkheimer

• Horkheimers Thesis

As understood and practised in our civilization,
progressive rationalization tends to obliterate
that very substance of reason in the name of
which this progress is espoused.
The concept of rationality, underlying modern
industrial societies has destroyed the very aim -
the emancipation of man - from which it started
out.

• Origin of scientific rationality
• Enlightenment
• Secularisation and Globalisation

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Critical Model Theory and Praxis

• A) Theory and Praxis Critique of Instrumental
  Reason
• Horkheimer identifies the present crisis of
  reason as its formalisation
• formalisation of reason ? reduction of reason to
  a mere instrument
• as opposed to
• objective reason ? rational considerations of the
  ends (purpose)
• Implications of the formalisation of reason
• reflection becomes immaterial to determination of
  desirability of any goal in itself (e.g.
  technology)
• ultimate decisions - acceptability of ideals,
  criteria for our actions and beliefs, ethical and
  political principles - are made dependent on
  factors other than reason (decisionism)
• identification of knowledge with science is
  mistaken, because technological progress ? human
  progress

5
Critical Model Theory and Practice

• Implications for the social sciences?
• Distinguish critical and conservative functions
  of the social sciences

• Critical Functions
• objective analysis of the state of society
• interest in evolution of society
• interest in rationality of ends justice,
  emancipation
• study of pathologies of societal rationalisation
• empirical methods
• engagement with use of empirical findings
• tension between ideal and reality

• Conservative Functions
• objective analysis of the state of society
• social engineering (Popper)
• organisation of society remains unquestioned
• empirical methods
• neutrality towards use of empirical findings

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Critical Model Theory and Practice

• Critical Functions
• Some empirical studies mass media, mass culture
• protest movements legitimacy crises in modern
  societies
• Violation of postulate of value neutrality

• Conservative Functions
• separation of values internal to research from
  values external to research
• objectivity
• piecemeal reform of institutions

• Critical Functions
• incorporation of internal and external values
  into social science research
• critique of modern rationalistic society
• reform of society

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Critical Model Poppers Criticism

• Poppers Criticism of Critical Function
• the problem of unplanned planning
• interference with a social process may change
  direction of this process
• self-fulfilling and self-negating prophecies
• unplanned planning arises for two reasons
• uncertainty of human agency
• uncertainty of predictions because of complicated
  interactions between observer and observed
• modification of Critical Theory as result of
  criticism
• interest in emancipation ? global reform of
  society
• Enlightenment as illumination

8
Critical Model Explanation and Understanding

• Habermas
• Sociological Enlightenment
• technological (scientific) rationality leads to
  technological society
• structural barriers distort rational dialogue and
  communication
• model of communicative rationality (rather than
  instrumental rationality)
• seek universal conditions of communicative
  action, discourse, rationality
• B) Explanation and Understanding
• Aim of social sciences according to Weber
• study of social reality in cultural context and
  explanation of social behaviour with the help of
  hypothetical regularities (e.g. rationality
  motives like achieving a purpose through the best
  possible means)
• study of social action as meaningful behaviour,
  subject to empirical tests

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Critical Model Ideal Types

• historical explanation of the emergence of social
  patterns, e.g. modern societies
• use of ideal types (Verstehen)
• Ideal Types
• theoretical constructions (capitalism,
  feudalism) (limit concepts or models)
• systematic characterisation of societal patterns
• essential for working out cultural meaning of
  social interactions
• comparison of model behaviour (complete
  rationality) and actual behaviour
• subject to empirical testing