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The Meaning of ‘Theory’.
- Source :
-
Sociological Theory . Jun2008, Vol. 26 Issue 2, p173-199. 27p. 1 Diagram. - Publication Year :
- 2008
-
Abstract
- ‘Theory’ is one of the most important words in the lexicon of contemporary sociology. Yet, their ubiquity notwithstanding, it is quite unclear what sociologists mean by the words ‘theory,’‘theoretical,’ and ‘theorize.’ I argue that confusions about the meaning of ‘theory’ have brought about undesirable consequences, including conceptual muddles and even downright miscommunication. In this paper I tackle two questions: (a) what does ‘theory’ mean in the sociological language?; and (b) what ought ‘theory’ to mean in the sociological language? I proceed in five stages. First, I explain why one should ask a semantic question about ‘theory.’ Second, I lexicographically identify seven different senses of the word, which I distinguish by means of subscripts. Third, I show some difficulties that the current lack of semantic clarity has led sociology to. Fourth, I articulate the question, ‘what ought “theory” to mean?,’ which I dub the ‘semantic predicament’ (SP), and I consider what one can learn about it from the theory literature. Fifth, I recommend a ‘semantic therapy’ for sociology, and advance two arguments about SP: (a) the principle of practical reason—SP is to a large extent a political issue, which should be addressed with the help of political mechanisms; and (b) the principle of ontological and epistemological pluralism—the solution to SP should not be too ontologically and epistemologically demanding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 07352751
- Volume :
- 26
- Issue :
- 2
- Database :
- Academic Search Index
- Journal :
- Sociological Theory
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 32186011
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9558.2008.00324.x