Couverture : The Content of Social Explanation

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The Content of Social Explanation

Susan James

Résumé

This is a study of the central questions of explanation in the social sciences, and a defence of 'holism' against 'individualism'. In the first half of the book Susan James sets out very clearly the philosophical background to this controversy. She locates its source not at the analytical level at which most of the debate is usually conducted but at a more fundamental, moral level, in different conceptions of the human individual. In the second half of the book she examines critically three case studies of holistic approaches - Althusser, Poulantzas and the Annales historians - and progressively refines our sense of the strengths and deficiencies of their programmes. She ends by arguing for a form of concessive holism, which offers some accommodation to liberal conceptions of individual autonomy but continues to emphasise the explanatory importance of social regularities and environments.

Détails de l'édition

ISBN-13
9780521266673
ISBN-10
052126667X
EAN
9780521266673
Éditeur
Cambridge university press (London)
Date de publication
15 novembre 1984
Langue
en
Pages
208
Dimensions
23 cm
Provenance des données
  • dimensions BnF Catalogue général · 23 juillet 2026
  • language Google Books · 7 septembre 2026
  • page_count Google Books · 7 septembre 2026
  • publication_date Google Books · 7 septembre 2026
  • summary Google Books · 7 septembre 2026
  • title Google Books · 7 septembre 2026