Abstract
One of the more constant elements in the ‘legacy of logical positivism’ has been a rather low estimate of the importance of the concept of Verstehen for a logic of the social sciences. To be sure, it has been the accepted practice among philosophers under the influence of this movement that any extended treatment of the logic of the social sciences include an analysis of the role of Verstehen. But these analyses have almost invariably taken the form of a whittling down to size of an out-sized concept with, it is often noted, rather suspicious origins in German metaphysical thought.
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Notes
Hempel, C. G., ‘Logical Positivism and the Social Sciences’, in Achinstein and Barker (eds.), The Legacy of Logical Positivism, Baltimore 1969, p. 163.
Philosophy of Science 8 (1941).
American Journal of Sociology 54 (1948); reprinted in Feigl and Brodbeck (eds.), Readings in the Philosophy of Science, New York, 1953, and in Hans Albert (ed.), Theorie und Realität, Tübingen 1964.1 shall cite from Albert. The lines which follow appear there on p. 185.
New York, 1961.
Scriven, M., ‘Logical Positivism and the Behavioral Sciences’ in Achinstein and Barker (eds.), 1961, p. 201.
Abel, ‘Logical Positivism and the Behavioral Sciences’ in Achinstein and Barker (eds.), 1961, pp. 185–188.
Nagel, ‘Logical Positivism and the Behavioral Sciences’ in Achinstein and Barker (eds.), 1961, pp. 483, 84.
Aufsätze zur Wissenschaftslehre, Tübingen 1922, p. 174; cited in Jürgen Habermas, Zur Logik der Sozialwissenschaften, Frankfurt a. Main, 1970, p. 86.
For a brief but interesting discussion of these questions see Habermas, op. cit.>, pp. 83–91.
Collingwood, R. G., The Idea of History, New York 1946.
Dray, W., Laws and Explanation in History, Oxford 1957.
For a general discussion of this approach see Bernstein, R., Praxis and Action, Philadelphia 1971, Part IV.
This point, as well as the next, is made by Alan Ryan, The Philosophy of the Social Sciences, London 1970 in his discussion of Winch on pp. 125–171.
Habermas, The Philosophy of the Social Sciences, London 1970 in his discussion of Winch on, pp. 143, 86.
Abel, The Philosophy of the Social Sciences, London 1970 in his discussion of Winch on, pp. 185, 86.
Philosophy of Science 30 (1963); reprinted in Brodbeck, M., Readings in the Philosophy of the Social Sciences, New York 1968; citations from reprinted version.
Rudner, R., Philosophy of Social Science, Englewood Cliffs, 1966.
See p. 172 above for the relevant citation.
Brodbeck, op. cit.>, p. 69.
Rudner, op. cit.>, p. 83.
Ibid.>, p. 83.
Ryan, op. cit.>, p. 143.
Brodbeck, op. cit.>, p. 68.
Ibid.>, p. 69.
Ibid.>, p. 69.
American Philosophical Quarterly 1 (1964). The numbers in the text of this section refer to this article.
Oxford 1937.
Second Edition, Tübingen 1965.
Gadamer, op. cit.>, p. 362.
Ibid.>, p. 362 ff.
Ibid.>, p. 280.
Compare Danto, A. C., Analytical Philosophy of History, p. 142.
Gadamer, op. cit.>, p. 279.
See Gadamer, op. cit.>, p. 291.
Ibid.>, p. 291.
Maclntyre, op. cit.>; quoted in Winch, 1964, op. cit.>, p. 323.
Winch, op. cit.>, p. 323.
See Gadamer, op. cit.>, pp. 351 ff.
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McCarthy, T. (1974). The Operation Called Verstehen: Towards a Redefinition of the Problem. In: Schaffner, K.F., Cohen, R.S. (eds) PSA 1972. Boston Studies in the Philosophy of Science, vol 20. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-010-2140-1_12
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-010-2140-1_12
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