Key Concepts in the Philosophy of Social Research
eBook - ePub

Key Concepts in the Philosophy of Social Research

  1. 240 pages
  2. English
  3. ePUB (mobile friendly)
  4. Available on iOS & Android
eBook - ePub

Key Concepts in the Philosophy of Social Research

About this book

"This is a splendid book, providing a readable and reliable guide to a very large range of topics and literature... the author brings together, as few of us can, the details of research methodology and practice with broader philosophical perspectives and approaches."
- William Outhwaite, Emeritus Professor, Newcastle University 

"We need researchers who are philosophically informed rather than philosophically obsessed or philosophically oppressed. With this book Malcolm Williams strikes the exact balance."
- Ray Pawson, Emeritus Professor, University of Leeds

This book is an ideal introduction for any student or social researcher hoping to better understand the philosophical issues that inform social research. Williams is the perfect guide providing short focused introductions to key concepts alongside a persuasive and engaging overview of how we interpret and conduct research.

The book covers everything from core research methods, to ethical concerns and an exploration of the metaphysics of social life, with each entry providing:
  • Clear definitions
  • Engaging real world examples
  • Up-do-date suggestions for further reading
  • Informative cross-referencing
  • Lists of key thinkers. 
Relevant and authoritative, this book is an indispensable introduction to the philosophy of social research.  

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Yes, you can access Key Concepts in the Philosophy of Social Research by Malcolm Williams in PDF and/or ePUB format, as well as other popular books in Social Sciences & Social Science Research & Methodology. We have over one million books available in our catalogue for you to explore.

Table of contents

  1. Cover
  2. Half Title
  3. Publisher Note
  4. Title Page
  5. Copyright Page
  6. Acknowledgements
  7. Contents
  8. About the Author
  9. Introduction
  10. 1 Causality
  11. 2 Complexity
  12. 3 Contingency and Necessity
  13. 4 Empiricism
  14. 5 Epistemology
  15. 6 Ethics and Morality
  16. 7 Experiments
  17. 8 Explanation
  18. 9 Falsification
  19. 10 Feminism
  20. 11 Functionalism
  21. 12 Generalisation and Laws
  22. 13 Hypothesis(es)
  23. 14 Idealism
  24. 15 Individualism and Holism
  25. 16 Induction
  26. 17 Interpretation and Meaning
  27. 18 Language
  28. 19 Logic and Truth
  29. 20 Materialism
  30. 21 Mechanisms and Models
  31. 22 Objectivity – Subjectivity
  32. 23 Observation
  33. 24 Ontology
  34. 25 Positivism
  35. 26 Postmodernism
  36. 27 Pragmatism
  37. 28 Probability
  38. 29 Rationality
  39. 30 Realism
  40. 31 Relativism
  41. 32 Social Constructionism
  42. 33 Statistics
  43. 34 Theory
  44. 35 Time