Philosophy of Social Research

This is why I have not blooged for a while, I have been trying to learn something unteachable - PHILOSOPHY.

Philosophy of Social Research



Epistemology: - What is acceptable knowledge and how valid it is and tries to answer questions like, what differentiates belief from knowledge?



Ontology: - is the part of Meta physics which deals with the nature of being, or what exists. The ontological argument is that in order for us to understand the world or domain we live in, assumptions are made about what exists within that domain, what is real?



There are four main strategies that can be employed to conduct research in the social sciences and these are:

1) Inductive

2) Deductive

3) Retroductive

4) Abductive

The approaches taken for research draw from these four strategies in the way data is collected, and analysed and are discussed below.

a) Positivism is an inductive approach and states that all true knowledge is scientific and is measurable. Also known as empiricism and pioneered by Auguste Comte, positivism rejects metaphysics and claims that knowledge of anything that cannot be observed and measured is impossible. This approach heavily relies on observation as the basis of scientific knowledge. In this approach, observations are made of a situation or problem, experiments are then conducted and the data thoroughly scrutinised and from this analysis new theories are developed. The ontology of Positivism is naïve realism were reality is assumed to exist and is guided by laws and mechanisms. Epistemology of positivism is dualist and objectivist, whereby the researcher and participants are viewed as separate entities, and the researcher’s views/ opinions/ beliefs do not in any way influence the research. The methodology best used in this approach is Experimental and manipulative, where questions are used to empirically test hypothesis with all other confounding variables controlled to prevent an influence on the outcome.



b) The second strategy of social research is the deductive strategy whereby the research is guided by theory. This strategy is also known as the hypothetico-deductive or falsificationist approach and takes on a Critical Rationalism approach of research. The main operation of this strategy is to falsify the hypothesis. The problem to be investigated is reviewed and a possible answer or explanation is created first before any observation is done. The answer to the question is also known as a hypothesis and this then undergoes various forms of scrutiny and testing in order to falsify it. The hypothesis stands as truth until such a time when after meticulous testing it is falsified.





c) Postpositivism is an approach that later developed to challenge positivism. It is a retroductive approach which relies on building structures and mechanisms of a phenomenon, observing and testing this structure in order to explain the situation/experience.

Post positivism’s ontology is critical realism, although reality is alleged to exist, it is not as perfect as it is in its natural state because of human’s flawed methods of discovery. The epistemology of this approach is modified dualist/objectivist, in this approach the researcher and participants are still viewed as separate entities but more emphasis is placed on pre-existing knowledge, and critical communities or “external guardians”. The methodology used for this approach is modified experimental/manipulative, the idea is to falsify rather than verify hypothesis. This methodology differs from positivism in that it collects data from more natural settings than a positivist.



d) Constructivism takes on an abductive approach and has relativist ontology. This is where there are many realities of phenomena all dependent on the social actor or individual. These realities can change over time or in different situations and can only be defined by the participant in any research. The epistemology of this approach is a transactional and subjectivist with the belief that the researcher and participant interact during the research and are therefore linked and thus knowledge is created as the research proceeds. Methodology most suitable for this approach is hermeneutical and dialectical. Other approaches that use this strategy include Feminism, Realism and Structuration theory.



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