Suchergebnisse

Review of critics of the logical positivist description of scientific method & academic accounts of policy making suggests that analogies & metaphors are central features of the social-scientific enterprise. Critics of metaphorical thinking in social science argue that these "devices" are used uncritically & obscure reality because they are too intuitive & too interpretative to be considered scientific. But this approach is probably dangerous because it assumes that metaphors, analogies, & models have only scientific consequences. As devices of thinking, they also have effects on public life as well. Assessment of analogies & metaphors must depend on their implications for reforming the world. At issue is the question of whether policy sciences use analogies & metaphors in a responsible fashion & whether policy scientists are willing to take responsibility for the world they imagine. 65 References. HA.