Title: Foundational Paradigms of Social Sciences

Author: Shiping Tang (2011)

Discussion Point: The existence of the foundational paradigms is fundamental for social scientists to adequately understand human society, social outcomes, and/or social facts.

Important elements of the Philosophy of Knowledge:

Ontology - about what things are (1); deals with the nature of reality, a system of belief that reflects an interpretation by an individual and what constitutes a fact (2); what is reality? (4)
Epistemology - the way we know things (1); study of nature and scope of knowledge and justified belief (3); how do you know something (4)

Prioritization in ontological and epistemological origin depends on what explains a certain situation. In research, ontology comes first, then epistemology, next is methodology.
Explaining the foundational paradigms will be digested into its ontological and epistemological origin.
Bedrock Paradigms
Integrative Paradigms
Dimension First Second Third Fourth
Paradigm Social Evolution -
transformation of the social
Social System - social
Biological evolution system dynamics
Materialism Ideationalism Individualism Collectivism Socialization Anti-socialization Conflict Harmony system dynamics at a
Determinism THROUGH time
GIVEN time
- the ULTIMATE paradigm

Ontology (1) existing social (1) human society is (1) groups consists of (1) group structure or (1) human behavior is (1) society is like a family, (1) social system is an enemy/ (1) divergent interests (1) harmony of interests and (1) interaction of the 9 (1) interaction of the 9
facts arise from determined or explained by individuals, and groups are properties shape human shaped by its evolution, individuals are borne free oppressor, it limits human and agents agent's cooperative and bedrock paradigms to bedrock paradigms within a
material things and ideational forces (i.e., feelings, simply sum of individuals. behavior and its survival and (2) human behavior is behavior (individuals or coordinative behavior drives explain the complex human social system and across
facts symbols, cognition, etc.) cannot (2) group properties not (2) group is more than just a reproduction adaptive of the social system, (2) individual's urge to rebel collective individuals) social outcome system (agents, social time --> human history
be reduced to material forces necessary explain or have sum of individuals within mainly institutions and culture against the social system and conflictual behavior (2) minimize conflict through structure, and the physical
little effect on individuals them (3) individual's urge to adapt the social order drives social outcome collaboration environment)
Ideas -> all in the mind (invent within a group (3) groups should be treated and conform with society
labels) -> no material existence as separate entities

Epistemology (1) social outcome (1) social outcome is better (1) to understand society is (1) to understand society, (1) human (1) understand human (1) individual behavior is (1) to understand (1) to understand social (1) to understand society is (1) to understand human
is described explained with ideational forces, to understand the behavior one must need to psychological traits behavior by social constraints explained by the oppression of social outcome is to outcome is to understand the to understand it in a society is to understand the
through material which shape human behavior and interaction of individuals understand how the group (patterns of behavior, and the individual's sense of the social system, coerced and understand the agent's cooperative and systemic approach --> evolutionary approach
forces and ultimately the social within the society or a behaviors, structure, norms, thought, and emotion) belongingness deterred by false class agent's conflictual coordinative behavior to synthesize all the 9 bedrock (2) to explain social change
outcome. particular group and culture impacts the are explained by the (2) society's stability is consciousness, knowledge, behavior to advance advance their interests paradigms as a whole is the central mechanism of
individuals in the group human's drive to survive achieve when individual is and/ or power their interests biological evolution
and reproduce one with the social system . (2) society's stability and determinism (variation-
(2) variation-selection- change is determined upon the selection-inheritance)
inheritance success and failure of the
individuals who rebel against it.

Schools of Thought Marxian historical Weberian (emphasizing Rational choice approach Structural functionalism Darwin's theory of Conte-Spencer-Durkheim- Marxism (class struggles, Marxism sociology Conte-Spencer-Durkheim- Functionalism
materialism (class ideology, legitimation, and (individual interaction) (society is an organism with natural selection Parsons-Mertonian structural alienation, contradiction, (class conflict as Parsons-Mertonian structural Bedrock: 4, Ontological Priority: 0, SEP: None
consciousness - rationalization) Neoclassical economics needs and purpose) Racism functionalism (individuals conflict) inescapable) functionalism (society is a big
struggles from Functionalism (bounded rationality) Marxism (class as the basic Geopolitics adapt to society's needs by Weberian Weberian sociology happy family) Marxism
factors of Weberian agent) Nazis willingly internalizing the (variety of dominations Neoclassical - New institutional Bedrock: 5, Ontological Priority: 2, SEP: Quasi-
production) Weberian proper functions in the in shaping society) economics (agents resort to evolutionary
Neoclassical society) Rational choice bargaining to resolve the conflict
economics Weberian approach of interest and achieve Pareto Weberian
Rational choice optimality) Bedrock: 6, Ontological Priority: 2, SEP: Quasi-
approach Marxism (harmony within the evolutionary
class)
Rational choice approach Neoclassical
Bedrock: 3, Ontological Priority: 1, SEP: Pseudo-
evolutionary

Rational Choice
Bedrock: 4, Ontological Priority: 2, SEP: Pseudo-
evolutionary
 Bedrock Paradigms
Integrative Paradigms
Dimension First Second Third Fourth
Paradigm Social Evolution -
transformation of the social
Social System - social
Biological evolution system dynamics
Materialism Ideationalism Individualism Collectivism Socialization Anti-socialization Conflict Harmony system dynamics at a
Determinism THROUGH time
GIVEN time
- the ULTIMATE paradigm

Synthesis We start to understand that the world consists of Individualism holds ontological priority, the assumptions Biological evolution determinism holds ontological priority over socialization and anti- Conflict paradigm holds ontological priority. An Bedrock paradigms, especially paradigms with
both material and ideational forces, but material made on a collective level will at any point involves an socialization paradigm, as it is universal and inerasable the existence of a human being. individual is self-centered and egoistic and will first ontological priority, which were synthesize organically,
forces holds ontological priority. Ideas are formed individual. Individuals create resources/ material things, As humans reproduced and increase in number, the society is also growing which leads satisfy his/her needs for survival. And in history, statesdetermine how much social reality a school of thought
based on material forces and are shaped by and ideals which upholds collective properties (i.e. the need to interact amongst them. Hence, these 3 paradigms of human behavior are ended up in war in pursuit of their interests. capture or misses.
material constraints. The ideas changes the mosques created to promote religion/norms, as such interdependent with one another. ( more bedrock paradigm with ontological priority = more
material environment through human behavior which individuals with same ideal form as a group). Ontologically, (1) conflict and harmony of interest among social reality)
may have impact in the long run. The interaction of socialization and anti-socialization accounts for the diversity of human agents often co-exist, but conflict of interest often
Understanding society is understanding how individuals behavior in different societies. As individuals create both material forces and ideals, the exceeds harmony. (2) An agent can either engaged n A social evolutionary school of thought captures social
Material forces -> Ideas -> Human Behavior -> impacts the groups and vice versa. complexity of understanding human behavior can be boundless and complete theory of conflicting or cooperative behavior to achieve social changes
Societal Change human nature is impossible. outcome.

Epistemologically, (1) conflict of interest may or may not

result to actual conflict, this holds true also for agents
with common interest. (2) Not all actual conflict is
caused by conflicting interest, and not all cooperation
and coordination is caused by common interest.

https://www.quora.com/What-is-the-difference-between-ontology-and-epistemology
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https://research-methodology.net/research-philosophy/ontology/
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(3) https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/epistemology/

http://salmapatel.co.uk/academia/the-research-paradigm-methodology-epistemology-and-ontology-explained-in-simple-language
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