Philosophy of the social sciences Autumn 2017 Magdalena Małecka, PhD Samuli Reijula, PhD

Course description Teachers: Samuli Reijula, PhD samuli.reijula@helsinki.fi Magdalena Małecka, PhD magdalena.malecka@helsinki.fi Our offices are at Metsätalo (Unioninkatu 40A), 5th floor: Room 521 (Samuli) & Room 525 (Magdalena) Internal communication & materials in Moodle (contact us via Moodle, please) Search courses: “Philosophy of the Social Sciences (2017, period II)” Enrolment key: “poss2017”

Requirements and assessment Lectures Mon (10.15-11.45), Wed (12.15-13.45) (active participation recommended), class room no. 8 30 October – 13 December No class on 11 December Reading assignments: either selected chapter from Mark Risjord’s 2014 book Philosophy of Social Science, or a relevant article. To be found in Moodle 3 work assignments Final exam 13 December (+ re-sit TBA) Grade Exam 70% Group assignments 30%

Structure of the course (I) Part I: Theories and methods in the social sciences Introduction Objectivity and values (Magdalena) Theories, interpretations and concepts (Samuli) Interpretive methodology (Magdalena) Group assignment 1 (Magdalena)

Structure of the course (II-III) Part II: Individual and collective action Introduction to action and agency (Samuli) Methodological individualism (Magdalena) Institutions and collective action (Samuli) Social norms (Magdalena) Assignment 2 Part III: Methodologies of causal inference Causality and explanation (Samuli) Models, experiments and extrapolation (Samuli) Assignment 3 (Samuli)

Assignments Assignment 1(class on 13 November) : jigsaw method – report written on a topic discussed within groups; discussion inspired by four texts assigned. Deadline for submitting a group report: 20 November Assignment 2 (individual): short essay-response to a question provided by us. Deadline for submitting texts: 3 December Assignment 3 (class on 6 December): poster session, instructions provided during the class on 4 December. Deadline for presenting a poster: 6 December

Course description; FILK-222, 5 cr Content: The course provides an overview of the main debates (both past and current) in the field of the philosophy of the social sciences. Learning objectives: The student understands and can argue about questions pertaining to the nature of social reality, the conceptualization of social behaviour and action, and principles of knowledge formation in the social sciences. Central themes: Interpretation, causality and explanation; Rationality, action and agency; Individualism and holism; Institutions and social norms; Methods of scientific inference; Values and objectivity Preceding studies: Introduction to Philosophy Introduction to Argumentation and Philosophy of the Social Sciences (recommended) Basic familiarity with a social-science discipline (e.g., an introductory course in sociology, economics, etc.) (recommended)

Course materials Mark Risjord, Philosophy of Social Science. A contemporary introduction, Routledge 2014 Selected scientific articles To be found in Moodle

Social Sciences and Philosophy

What are the social sciences? Social sciences: aim at systematic, mainly empirical, investigation into activities of human beings, with a special interest in what people do together, as part of larger social groups Separated from philosophy in XIX century Process that led to the development of anthropology, sociology, economics, psychology. Today also e.g.: public health, criminology, educational studies

What is the philosophy of the social sciences? Analyses the ways in which social scientific inquiry is done - How social phenomena are being explained; how evidence about them is being collected, produced and assessed; how social scientists infer information from data Examines how traditional questions of philosophy are being asked by engaging with the empirical study of human society Analyses philosophical presumptions that are made within the social scientific research

Main themes in the philosophy of the social sciences, according to Risjord Normativity Naturalism Reductionism

Normativity 1) What is a place and role of values, norms in social scientific inquiry? 2) What is an origin and function of values, rules, norms within human society? Diverse ways in which values, norms, rules can enter social sciences (through concepts, choice of research methods, explicitly political social theorising) Value free and/or objective social sciences

Naturalism What is a relationship between natural and social sciences? Epistemological naturalism - methods and explanations of the social sciences do not differ from those of natural sciences Metaphysical naturalism - humans are part of the natural world and are subject to the same causes and mechanisms that animate all other creatures

Reductionism Epistemological reductionism - theories at one level can be replaced by theories at another, lower, level. For example it could be asked whether the social sciences could be reduced to psychology, or neuroscience? Metaphysical reductionism – entities, properties, processes, events at one level are nothing but object at another Can social structures be reduced to individuals that constitute them?

Why study the philosophy of the social sciences? To understand that social scientists take positions on matters that have deep roots: conceptions of human agency, rationality, value, causation, community.  Ability to critically evaluate the philosophical commitments of a theory or methodology can significantly sharpen social scientific inquiry. To see whether/how/if traditional philosophical questions can be answered by rich resources of empirical evidence and theory in the social sciences ….

Pre-assignment Work with your neighbour: 1. Describe briefly the example from social science research that you chose 2. Which philosophical questions does it give rise to?

My example: Nudge Use insights from psychological research to design effective policies Examples Arranging foods in a cafeteria Changing defaults (organ donation) Philosophical questions How to understand rationality Are nudges ethically justified? When do nudges work?

Reading assignment – next class Chapters 1 and 2 from Risjord’s book Generally, we suggest that you read the chapters before lectures. ◦ Easier to follow the lesson ◦ You already have questions in mind Group work assignments rely on these readings Questions/comments? bring to class, or ask in the Moodle forum

Thank you for your attention! Magdalena & Samuli