Abstract

What sort of inquiry is social science? This question used to preoccupy philosophers but fell off their agenda due to a stalemate between so-called naturalists, who took the ideal to be natural science, and exceptionalists, who allied social sciences with humanities. I show that both positions commit the error of contrastivism, namely defining social science in contrast to these two traditions, which inevitably ends up caricaturing them. Using recent advances in philosophy, I formulate constructivism about social sciences, a view that denies an essence to this inquiry and grounds it in the needs of communities to understand and improve themselves.

Accompanying Reading Cycle

In addition to the APSE talk by Anna Alexandrova, we want to kindly invite you to our accompanying Reading Circle. It will take place right before the talk in the same room, so:

Time: Thursday, 03.04.2025, 1-3 pm 

Location: 3A

Please send a quick message to vinzenz.fischer@univie.ac.at if you are planning to attend the Reading Cycle!

Feel free to bring your lunch!