Comments on: Shake’n'Bake Social Theory

By: John Quiggin

John Quiggin — Wed, 23 Jul 2003 11:29:03 +0000

I’ve posted a followup at my blog (here), but Trackback seems to be on the blink again.

By: dsquared

dsquared — Mon, 21 Jul 2003 07:09:34 +0000

>>All social “theory” or social science is just reasoning by analogy? I have an unpublished paper proving that all reasoning by analogy is really a form of social science :)

By: Alegna

Alegna — Mon, 21 Jul 2003 03:20:37 +0000

Sounds fair enough to me. All norms, structures and institutions of social interaction are similar to one extent or another. Good social scholarship picks up these similarities (and dissimilarities)and examines them in new and interesting ways. Fresh perspecitives on old structures are how we develop our understanding of the social world.

By: Kieran Healy

Kieran Healy — Mon, 21 Jul 2003 00:08:04 +0000

Are you being sarcastic? All social “theory” or social science is just reasoning by analogy? No and no. It’s just a useful way into a problem and you see where it goes. The role of analogy and metaphor in theory of all sorts (hard science included) is very powerful, and you can say that without suggesting that’s all there is to it.

By: Steve

Steve — Sun, 20 Jul 2003 14:21:29 +0000

Are you being sarcastic? All social “theory” or social science is just reasoning by analogy? That is incredibly disheartening if true, since people inevitably stretch metaphors too far. It would explain some of the more insane theories to gain popular credence.