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Abstract

The relationship between philosophy, knowledge and science, it is argued, has commonly been misrepresented. Various influential theories of the role of philosophy in the acquisition of knowledge are considered and suggested to be defective. Epistemology is held to be properly concerned with the philosophy of knowledge rather than with the logic, philosophy or sociology of science, which is not necessarily an epistemologically important category; we should attempt to distinguish knowledge from conjecture rather than science from non-science. Contrary to much prevalent opinion, philosophy is said to have an active part to play in the acquisition of knowledge which can be obtained only within a system of philosophical assumptions.

In Part 1, the need for and general nature of such systems is considered and the adoption of one particular system is prescribed. Central to this system is a particular concept of causation and causal explanation. When seeking to understand the world, we are advised to try to discover the causes and partial causes of effects rather than, for example, to try to identify constant conjunctions or universal laws. In Part 11, an attempt is made to apply this prescription in the case of social science; various objections to and problems raised by this attempt are considered in order to present an acceptable framework of philosophical assumptions within which knowledge and explanation of human behaviour and social phenomena might be successfully sought.

Publication Type:	Thesis (Doctoral)
Subjects:	B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > B Philosophy (General) H Social Sciences > H Social Sciences (General)
Departments:	School of Communication & Creativity > School of Communication & Creativity Doctoral Theses Doctoral Theses

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