How we change what others think, feel, believe and do

Philosophies of Social Research

Explanations > Social Research > Philosophies of Social Research

Research into people is not like other research. You cannot just chop us up and measure how the neurons work. The person inside is more complex than a simple machine. At the same time, you also can't just assert your opinion about people (although many of us often do).

Approaches to social research are often based on beliefs of those involved. There are many philosophies, of course. Here are just a few:

• Constructionism and Constructivism: Building worlds in your head.
• Conventionalism - we tend to conform to conventions.
• Empiricism - truth comes only from direct experience.
• Epistemology - study of the nature of knowledge.
• Existentialism - atheistic isolation of the self.
• Feminism - truth is not androcentric.
• Hermeneutics - the exploration of meaning.
• Idealism - our experience of the world is, for us, the world.
• Linguistics - reality comes through the complexity of language.
• Ontology - study of being and experience.
• Phenomenology - objective exploration of experience.
• Positivism - only provable fact is valid knowledge.
• Rationalism - the use of pure thought.
• Realism - things exist, whether or not anyone is thinking of them.
• Utilitarianism - people seek to optimize value.

See also

Social research glossary, Key theorists of social philosophies