批判实在论对社会科学方法论贡献探析

Exploration of the Contribution of Critical Realism to the Methodology of Social Sciences

本文从本体论、认识论和方法三个方面探析了批判实在论对社会科学方法论的贡献。它把社会实在的基本特征概括为分层与超验性、突现性和社会结构的能动转化性三个方面。在此基础上它探讨了"认识谬误"的实质、根源和后果,从知识论、因果关系解释论和科学研究程序等方面阐述一种新的认识论。其方法贡献主要集中在回溯法、水平与垂直因果关系解释法和社会行动转化模型三个方面。它批判了在社会科学方法论中实证主义与解释主义的两极张力,从五个方面克服它们各自的二分法缺陷。批判实在论方兴未艾,面对学术界的一些质疑,还有许多问题有待于进一步研究。

This paper explores the contribution of critical realism to the methodology of social sciences from ontology,epistemology and method. The basic characteristics of social reality can be summarized in three aspects: stratification andtranscendence, emergence and active transformation of social structure. Critical realism explores the essence, sources andconsequences of epistemic fallacy and illuminates a new epistemology in terms of the theory of knowledge, the theory of causalexplanations and the procedure of scientific study. Its contribution to methods mainly lies in retroduction, horizontal-verticalexplanation of causation and transformational model of social activity. It criticizes the tension between positivism andhermeneuticism in the methodology of social sciences and overcomes their dichotomy in five aspects. Critical realism is flourishing.It should be studied further as there are questionings from the academic circle.