Description
Book SynopsisA groundbreaking logic-based approach to bridging the scientific-constructivist divide in social science
The Logic of Social Science offers new principles for designing and conducting social science research. James Mahoney uses set-theoretic analysis to develop a fresh scientific constructivist approach that avoids essentialist biases in the production of knowledge. This approach recognizes that social categories depend on collective understandings for their existence, but it insists that this recognition need not hinder the use of explicit procedures for the rational assessment of truth. Mahoney shows why set-theoretic analysis enables scholars to avoid the pitfalls of essentialism and produce findings that rest on a firm scientific foundation.
Extending his previous work and incorporating new material, Mahoney presents specific tools for formulating and evaluating theories in the social sciences. Chapters include discussions of models of causality, proc
Trade Review
"[The Logic of Social Science] provides a compelling and accessible introduction to scientific constructivism and the methodology of the set-theoretic analysis, and it provides ready-for-use set-theoretic tools for researchers in the social sciences."---Hein Duijf, Metascience
