Foundational Paradigms of Social Sciences

In: Philosophy of the social sciences: an international journal = Philosophie des sciences sociales, Band 41, Heft 2, S. 211-249

Abstract

When stripped to the bare bone, there are only 11 foundational paradigms in social sciences. These foundational paradigms are like flashlights that can be utilized to shed light on different aspects of human society, but each of them can only shed light on a limited area of human society. Different schools in social science result from different but often incomplete combinations of these foundational paradigms. To adequately understand human society and its history, we need to deploy all 11 foundational paradigms, although more limited combinations of them may be adequate for understanding more specific social facts.