Normativity and Naturalism in the Social Sciences engages with a central debate within the philosophy of social science: whether social scientific explanation necessitates an appeal to norms, and if so, whether appeals to normativity can be rendered "scientific." This collection brings together contributions from a diverse group of philosophers who explore a broad but thematically unified set of questions, many of which stem from an ongoing debate between Stephen Turner and Joseph Rouse (both contributors to this volume) on the role of naturalism in the philosophy of the social sciences. Informed by recent developments in both philosophy and the social sciences, this volume will set the benchmark for contemporary discussions about normativity and naturalism. This collection will be relevant to philosophers of social science, philosophers in interested in the rule following and metaphysics of normativity, and theoretically oriented social scientists.

About the Author
Mark Risjord is Professor of Philosophy at Emory University, USA.

Reviews

"This nice volume edited by Risjord clarifies how hard the job of the normativist has become ... Undoubtedly normativists will continue to produce ingenious arguments to preserve the idea that philosophy can not only survive or co-exist with, but even compete with science. In order to do that, they will have to engage seriously with the many conceptual and empirical obstacles that are laid out in this volume." -Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews

"This book picks up a core current debate over whether normativity and naturalism can be reconciled in social science, and extends and deepens it. No philosopher of social science should ignore it." -Don Ross, University of Cape Town, South Africa

Book Information
ISBN 9780367235130
Author Mark Risjord
Format Paperback
Page Count 280
Imprint Routledge
Publisher Taylor & Francis Ltd
Weight(grams) 517g