Understanding Social Science: Philosophical Introduction to the Social Sciences

In this lucid and engaging analysis of the nature of society, Roger Trigg examines the scientific basis of social science and shows that philosophical presuppositions are a necessary starting point for the study of society. This second edition contains three new chapters that demonstrate the relationship of the philosophy of social science to politics, and takes into account recent developments including the impact of rational choice theory, and attacks on the possibility of reason by postmodernists. Themes in the book include the relation of individual to society, the basis of our understanding of other societies, and the character of social reality. Is there such a thing as society? What of the threat of relativism? These and other questions are examined in depth, but with a clarity that introduces the issues to those new to the subject.

Preface to the Second Edition. Acknowledgement. 1. The Nature of Science. 2. Objectivity and the Sociology of Knowledge. 3. Individuals and Society. 4. Understanding Other Societies. 5. Rationality. 6. Facts and Values. 7. Economics and Society. 8. Culture: Function and Adaptation. 9. Sociobiology and Determinism. 10. Markets and Social Institutions. 11. Tradition and Reason. 12. The Philosophical Basis of Social Science. Glossary. Bibliography. Index.

Roger Trigg is Professor of Philosophy at the University of Warwick. His most recent books include Rationality and Science (Blackwell, 1993), Rationality and Religion (Blackwell, 1998), the widely–read Ideas of Human Nature (second edition, Blackwell, 1999), and Philosophy Matters (Blackwell, forthcoming).

"The first edition of Trigg′s book was already an excellent text in the philosophy of social science. Not only did it strike a high level of philosophical sophistication, but it was unique among such texts in making ideas of Ludwig Wittgenstein fruitful and in approaching the question of objectivity in social inquiry partly through the sociology of knowledge. The new or expanded discussions of perspectivalism, reason, politics, and social reality only make it better." Ted Schatzki, University of Kentucky "Trigg′s study is a lively and informative introduction to the philosophical issues at the heart of our efforts to either understand or explain social phenomena. He questions naturalistic accounts of social science and argues that the core philosophical assumptions within such inquiry will prove neither innocuous nor dissolve through empirical methods." Robert D′Amico, University of Florida