About the Forum
Forum for the Philosophy of the Social Sciences is a newly founded forum that aims to promote the interdisciplinary discussion of the philosophy of the social sciences. Toward this end, its main goal is to organize 3-4 talks each term on some topic within the philosophy of the social sciences. The talks take place at the Faculty of the Social Sciences at the University of Copenhagen. They are typically conducted in Danish.
Fall 2011: Research Ethics
This series of lectures takes a closer look at two issues within research ethics. The first is the social scientist’s duty to follow the norms of good science. The second is the social scientist’s duty to be ethically considerate towards the people whose lives and doings she studies.
The social scientist has a duty to ensure that she lives up to the norms of good science when she formulates, carries out, and disseminates the results of, her research project. This point raises questions such as: What are the norms of good social scientific practice? Can these norms come into conflict with each other? Is the researcher always in a position to live up to these norms? And to what extent may the context in which the social scientist works be said to encourage her to abide by, or evade, the norms?
The social scientist’s duty to be ethically considerate towards the individuals, she studies, applies when she decides on her research question and method; when she carries out her research in the field, and when she interprets and disseminates her findings. Accordingly, it is important to take a stance on the following sort of questions: To what extent should ethical considerations influence the choice of the research question and method? Is it always ethically acceptable to do research on individuals? What other – if any – considerations and interests may outweigh the duty to be ethically considerate towards the individuals under study? And to what extent should the social scientist, in the presentation of her findings, take into account their possible consequences for the individuals she has studied?
The first talk in this series discusses the social scientist’s duty to live up to the norms of good science. The next three talks focus on the social scientist’s duty to be ethically considerate towards the individuals under study in connection with applied research, research based on quantitative methods and research based on qualitative methods respectively. The speakers are: Claus Emmeche (Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen), Steffen Jöhncke (Department of Anthropology, University of Copenhagen), Svend Kreiner (Institute of Public Health, University of Copenhagen), and Tine Tjørnhøj-Thomsen (National Institute of Public Health, University of Southern Denmark).
Spring 2011: Theories of Practice
Theories of practice have as their focus, or take as their starting point, the study of practices. They reflect the view that the study of practices holds the key to a proper understanding of social life or aspects thereof. This minimal characterization captures what all theories of practice have in common. There are no additional characteristics that all theories of practice share. In this sense, there is not a single but many theories of practice. Still, there are features that some or many theories of practice have in common. By appeal to these, it is possible to single out different, and often overlapping, groupings within the field of practice approaches. The present series of lectures focus on the various groupings within the field of theories of practice. The following sort of questions will be examined: What exactly is a practice? Who are possible participants in a practice? What roles do the participants in a practice have? How do power relations express themselves within practices? On what grounds may it be held that the study of social life should revolve around practices? What particular insights are gained from a focus on practices? What are the limitations of this approach? And what are the methodological consequences of adopting a practice approach? Five researchers will present their answers to these questions: Henrik Vigh (Department of Anthropology, University of Copenhagen), Antje Gimmler (Department of Sociology and Social Work, Aalborg University), Lars Fuglsang (Department of Communication, Business and Information Technologies, Roskilde University), Bente Halkier (Department of Communication, Business and Information Technologies, Roskilde University), and Hans Fink (Department of Philosophy, University of Aarhus).
Fall 2010: The Social Sciences and Interdisciplinarity
This series of lectures looks at interdisciplinarity from a philosophical perspective. More specifically, its focus is the reflections on the nature of science that arise as a result of social scientists’ encounter with other discplines. Accordingly, the discussion of the following sort of questions is encouraged: What is distinctive of the contribution made by social scientists in interdisplinary settings? What characterizes a social scientific approach in interdisciplinary contexts? What limitations associated with a social scientific approach come into view in these contexts? What may social scientists learn from working with scientists from other disciplines? And more generally: What is distinctive of the (social) science that is the outcome of interdisciplinary collaboration? Does interdisciplinary collaboration give rise to better (social) science? Does it lead to new conceptions of the nature of science? What reasons may be advanced in support of interdisciplinary collaboration? Three researchers will each present their views on these issues. They are: Niels Viggo Hansen (Department of Sociology, University of Copenhagen), Andreas Roepstorff (Department of Social Anthropology, University of Aarhus) and Poul Bitsch Olsen (The Business Department, Roskilde University).
Spring 2010: The Role of the Social Scientist in Society
What is the role of the social scientist in society? Different – and not necessarily incompatible – answers may be advanced in response to this question. Here are some examples:
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The social scientist offers descriptions of alternatives to the dominating form of life in society. The descriptions invite reflection on the fact that there are other – and perhaps better – ways to live.
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The social scientist provides causal generalizations or laws about the social realm. On that basis, society may choose to intervene in social life: It may facilitate or impede the occurrrence of a given effect by facilitating or impeding the occurrence of its cause.
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The social scientist puts forward analyses as to whether certain internventions in social life have had the desired result. The analyses make it clear whether adjustments of the interventions are required.
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The social scientist presents critical accounts of society in the form of demasking analyses of oppressive mechanisms in society. The criticism paves the way for societal action that aims to change the problematic conditions.
The series of lectures on the role of the social scientist in society encourage the discussion of what the role of the social scientist is and should be. Four researchers will each present their view on the matter with a special focus on what role the social scientist should assume. The speakers are: Susan Whyte (Department of Anthropology, University of Copenhagen), Ole Wæver (Department of Political Science, University of Copenhagen), Niels Kærgård (International Economics and Policy Division, University of Copenhagen), and Niels Åkerstrøm Andersen (Department of Management, Politics and Philosophy, Copenhagen Business School).
Fall 2009: Theoretical Developments within the Social Sciences
The topic Theoretical Developments within the Social Sciences encourages the consideration of questions like the following: What are the dominant theoretical movements within the social sciences right now? What basic claims or assumptions are made by these movements? (For instance, do they focus on individuals, social institutions and structures, or both? Is their ambition to advance causal explanations? Do they hold that the data collected by social scientists fail to reflect reality? And so on.) Do the currently most influential theoretical movements make some of the same basic claims or assumptions? What are the main strengths and weaknesses of the dominant theoretical movements in the social sciences today? Finally, how well do the basic claims or assumptions made by these movements survive critical scrutiny?
Four researchers will each present their perspective on these issues this fall. The speakers are: Finn Collin (Section of Philosophy, Department of Media, Cognition and Communication, University of Copenhagen), Kirsten Hastrup (Department of Anthropology, University of Copenhagen), Margareta Bertilsson (Department of Sociology, University of Copenhagen), and Lene Hansen (Department of Political Science, University of Copenhagen).