A central problem in political inquiry is the conceptual and
linguistic informality of political science. For most of its
history, the discipline has been largely pursued with the analytic
and logical machinery of ordinary language. Likewise, there has
been little effort to standardize how language is used, or to
systematize theoretical procedures to insure methodological
uniformity. In an effort to better understand and defend the
research processes that attend, sustain, and foster the systematic
credibility of political science, Gregor argues a special
conceptual language is needed to enhance the rigor, replicability,
articulation, and interpretation of political science's empirical
findings. Gregor reviews the conceptual inventory of the social
sciences in general with particular emphasis on distinctions
between descriptive, theoretical, and normative language. He
analyzes what might count as "objectivity" and "truth" in a given
set of circumstances in an effort to standardize how political
scientists make such distinctions. How "theory" and "explanation"
might be assessed in less rigorous disciplines is also considered.
Gregor is opposed to the postmodernist tendency to use "language
games" in the social sciences that purport to close the gaps
separating the discourses of knowledge, ethics and politics, but do
so at the expense of clarity, rigor, and objectivity. In Gregor's
view, these alternative perspectives have exploited vagueness and
ambiguity in order to accomplish what they consider to be their
political tasks. A substantial postscript to this edition traces
some of the postmodernist perspectives to their origins in the
works of particular individuals and to their history in the thought
of twentieth-century Europe. Metascience and Politics attempts to
address all these issues, with brevity and seriousness of purpose,
in order to provide a defensible rationale for the scientific
character of social and political studies. It will be of interest
to political scientists, sociologists, philosophers, and
intellectual historians. A. James Gregor is professor of political
science at the University of California at Berkeley and an adjunct
professor at Command and Staff College, U.S. Marine Corps
University at Quantico, Virginia. He has also been awarded the
Order of Merit by the President of the Italian Republic for his
contribution to Italy as a nation through his published works. He
is the author of Giovanni Gentile: Philosopher of Fascism,
Interpretations of Fascism, Phoenix: Fascism in Our Time, and
Marxism, China, and Development, all published by Transaction.
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