Social Science that Matters - Social Science as Phronesis and for Praxis by Bent Flyvbjerg

“. . . . social science should stick to what it is good at, what it can excel at - which is moving beyond the theoretical and analytical to rich, reflexive, real-world analysis of values and power . . . . Phronesis goes beyond both analytical, scientific knowledge (episteme) and technical knowledge or know how (techne) and involves judgements and decisions made in the manner of a virtuoso social and political actor . . . . we should look at what really happens - in the fine details and in those details we will gain a truer understanding of how the heck things actually happen in our societies. Phronesis aims to create general understandings of how things work through a study of the details of a situation, through painstakingly researching and understanding the local context, practices and the actors who are at play within that context.”

“Therefore the judgement, which is central to phronesis and praxis, is always context-dependent . . . . The miniutiae, practices and concrete cases which lie at the heart of phronetic research are seen in their proper contexts; both the small, local context, which gives phenomena their immediate meaning, and the larger, international and global context in which the phenomena can be appreciated for their general and conceptual significance . . . . Flyvberg’s work gives us a rigourous and well thought out practical approach to building meaning from our experiences.”

Full article at Worldchanging.com

“We should promote social sciences that are strong where natural science is weak . that is, in reflexive analysis and deliberation about values and interests aimed at praxis, which are essential to social and economic development in society. We should promote value rationality over epistemic rationality, in order to arrive at social science that matters.”

“Two scenarios may be outlined for the future of social science.”

“In the first . and today, dominant . scenario, it is scientism, the belief that science holds a reliable method of reaching the truth about the nature of things, which continues to dominate the social sciences. But scientism in social science will continue to fail, because the reality of social science does not and cannot
live up to the ideals of natural science. Consequently, social science will increasingly degenerate as a scholarly activity, and will find it more and more difficult to gain public support and funding for its activities.”

“The second scenario replaces scientism with phronesis. Here the purpose of social science is not to develop epistemic theory, but to contribute to society?fs practical rationality by elucidating where we are, where we want to go, and what is desirable according to different sets of values and interests. The goal of the phronetic approach becomes contributing to society?fs capacity for value-rational deliberation and action. The contribution may be a combination of concrete empirical analyses and practical philosophical-ethical considerations . “fieldwork in philosophy,” as Pierre Bourdieu called his own version of phronetic social science. In this scenario social scientists actively ensure that their work is relevant to praxis. The aim is to make the line between research and the world direct and consequential.”

“If we do this - focus on specific values and interests in the context of particular power relations - we may successfully transform social science into an activity performed in public and for different publics, sometimes to clarify, sometimes to intervene, sometimes to generate new perspectives, and always to serve as eyes and ears in efforts to understand the present and deliberate about the future. We may, in short, arrive at social science that matters. Policy makers and university administrators should reward this
type of praxis-oriented social science and they should penalise social science that has no social and practical impact, including social science which vainly tries to emulate natural science. This would be accountability that matters.”

~ From“Social Science that Matters” - an article from Foresight Europe

Website of Bent Flybjerg

Keywords : appropriate science and technology, science, social science, philosophy, phronesis, praxis, social change
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