Ontology And Epistemology

Front 1

What is ontology?

Back 1

Furlong and Marsh:

Ontology is a theory of ‘being’

‘What is the form and nature of reality’

Front 2

What is epistemology

Back 2

The theory of knowledge

Epistemology refers to what we can know about what is

Front 3

Give two arguments made by two political theorists that ontology precedes epistemology

Back 3

Hay:

It is impossible to know of something that does not exist.

Ontology is ‘logically antecedent to the epistemological and methodological choices’.

Spencer:

Epistemic fallacy:

Committed if you believe epistemology comes before ontology. This fallacy prevents real world events from having an impact.

Spencer accepts that discourse about ‘real’ things can affect the impacts that they have, but points out that these ‘real’ things are ‘real’

Front 4

Give one argument that epistemology precedes ontology

Back 4

Post Structuralism:

Dixon and Jones:

'Ontological assumptions put the cart before the horse’

How can we talk of things being if we do not first have an understanding of how we know those things exist?

How can we discern between types of being without knowledge of how to discern between them?

Front 5

Explain the justification for ontology and epistemology being co-existent

Back 5

Post-structuralist can view ontology/epistemology as co-existent because they reduce ontology down to epistemology

Front 6

Why is the difference between ontology and epistemology important?

Back 6

An understanding of one affects our understanding of the other.

Ontological positions also affect the choice of methods. An anti-foundationalist might use more qualitative studies and a foundationalist might use quantitative.

An awareness of our own positions is important as our own starting position could affect our methodology or potentially lead to bias etc.

Front 7

Outline the two ontological positions

Back 7

Foundationalism:

There is a real world that exists independently of our knowledge of it

Anti-foundationalism:

Guba and Lincoln:

'Reality is not discovered… it is actively constructed'

constructed'

Reality alters people’s perceptions, and people’s perceptions alter the reality

Front 8

Outline the positivist epistemology

Back 8

Foundationalist ontology

World exists independently and can be observed by senses

Causal statements can be constructed that fit observations

These statements can predict future outcomes

Observations can be made in an unbiased manner

Front 9

Criticisms of positivist epistemology

Back 9

Quin:

New knowledge has to be understood in the context of the concepts that we already have.

Positivism disregards meaning, reasons intentions or beliefs.

Criticism of Realists: No attention for unobservable structures within politics/society (Class for example)

Hay:

Viewing humans as always rational (almost like robots) as a way to make predictions does not fit with most people’s conception of politics.

To soften this definition leads to positivism crumbling down

Front 10

Outline the realist epistemology

Back 10

Foundationalist ontology

There is a real world that exists

There are deep structures that are not observable with our senses. These deeper structures can still have real life affects

Realism still aims to make causal statements based on sense observations.

Smith: Even if these deep structures are unobservable empirically, ‘Positing their existence gives us the best explanation of social action’. Having an understanding of these structures gives us a better chance at being able to understand social action

Front 11

Suggest 3 criticisms of scientific realism

Back 11

Positivists would argue that there are no unobservable structures

Interpretivists would say all structures are dependent on social action. Our perception of the world changes how the world is

How can we distinguish between what we can and can't perceive? Realism is vague

Front 12

Outline the interpretivist epistemology

Back 12

Anti-Foundationalist

The world is socially or discursively constructed

Observations cannot be made in an unbiased way

Shared meaning/value between people leads to social constructions that are relevant to those who share those values

Example: Money, has no intrinsic value but is only valuable to the people who share its meaning

Parson:

Modern ideas of interpretivism allow for a 'real' world by looking for consensus amongst scholars

Front 13

Give three criticisms of interpretivism

Back 13

There is no way of distinguishing between opposing values

Is it true that researchers cannot be objective?

Interpretivism does not allow things to be verified or falsified as everything is down to context

Front 14

What is the difference between a methodology and a method

Back 14

Methodology: A mindset, the toolset that is used to research. Not the method itself, but the type of method

Method: The specific methods that are used (interview etc.)

Front 15

Outline the structure view of politics

Back 15

Macro perspective

Looks at how structures affect human action and choices

There is something beyond an individuals actions that shapes the political world

Front 16

Outline the agency view of politics

Back 16

Micro perspective

Looks at an individual agent's ability to make decisions

May focus on/assume free will in people

Front 17

Give three theorists views on structure vs agency

Back 17

Giddens:

Structure and agency co-exist.

It is illogical to suggest that only one of them should be studied

Wendt and Shapiro:

Conclusions drawn on structure vs agency depend on where you look

Empirics should guide us in finding out where we look

Hay:

Wendt and Shapiro are wrong

Empirics are epistemological, structure vs agency is ontological

To use epistemology to determine ontology goes against the idea that ontology precedes epistemology