Poe Yu-Ze Wan: Reframing the Social: Emergentist Systemism and Social Theory

Abstract

The last few years have witnessed a virtual efflorescence of increasingly sophisticated writings on the meta-methodological, epistemological, and ontological foundations of Social Science. This renaissance of ‘‘foundational’’ inquiry has been buoyed by the rise, growth, and institutionalization of such scientific-intellectual movements as Critical Realism, Analytical Sociology, ‘‘the mechanisms movement’’ (among others) and by the contributions of such figures as Mario Bunge, Peter Hedstrom, Charles Tilly, Christian Smith, Phillip Gorski, Dave Elder-Vass, and Daniel Little (among many others). The main motivation of this variegated line of work has been to move beyond the methodological strictures of classical positivism by providing the social sciences with renewed epistemic and ontological foundations. These foundations are characterized by returning to realism (as opposed to empiricism) moving beyond correlational view of causation (and towards a concern with powerful particulars, causal powers, and social mechanisms) and a renewed appreciation for the precedence of ontological considerations over epistemic guidelines or operational conventions. Poe Yu-Ze Wan’s Reframing the Social is one of the most sophisticated entries into this now burgeoning literature. Wan’s intellectual achievement in this book stands out from comparable entries in the marketplace for at least two reasons. First, there is just the sheer amount of ground covered in the book. Wan manages a rare feat here: not only does he address essentially every major debate in the methodological foundations of social science today (e.g. on causation, emergence, the status of mechanistic explanation, and analytical sociology), but Wan manages to do this in a sophisticated, constructive, and even-handed manner, ranging over a bewildering large number of authors, schools and positions. Even if the book had been confined to simply reviewing the state of the field today, it would have been an impressive accomplishment. Every scholar interested in this literature needs to read this book simply to be able to claim that he or she is acquainted with the state of the art and with the now staggering breadth of writings on the various inter-related subjects. Wan not only appears to have read everything and everyone, but he has done the field a great service by providing a characterization of the