Methodological Pluralism Research Articles

A critical note on the scientific conception of economics: claiming for a methodological pluralism

Opponents of mainstream economics have not yet called attention to the lack of in-depth examination of the general scientific conception of modern economics. However, economic science cannot consistently fulfil the epistemological and ontological requirements of the scientific standards underlying this conception. What can be scientifically recognized as true cannot be answered, neither through the actual ontological structure of the object of observation nor through a methodological demarcation. These limitations necessarily lead to the claim for both a pragmatic and a radical methodological pluralism.

Chemistry and Measurement: Some Philosophical Lessons

Abstract How do chemists assign numbers to chemicals properties? What do these numbers refer to? To answer these questions, we will first point out both the context-dependence of chemicals and the epistemic limitations of chemistry. We will then investigate how chemists use various procedures to stabilize measurements and how they use mixtures of samples as “references” in order to determine the amount of different chemicals in a sample. This study will enable us to query how it is possible for chemists to change one factor while holding others constant at each step of the measurement procedure. This part of our work which will lead us to query the meaning of the ceteris paribus clause and the very possibility of making holistic inferences in the domain of chemistry. To conclude, we will highlight how methodological pluralism developed by chemists makes it possible for a relational type of consistency to emerge.

Isolating the sources of pipeline-variability in group-level task-fMRI results.

Task‐fMRI researchers have great flexibility as to how they analyze their data, with multiple methodological options to choose from at each stage of the analysis workflow. While the development of tools and techniques has broadened our horizons for comprehending the complexities of the human brain, a growing body of research has highlighted the pitfalls of such methodological plurality. In a recent study, we found that the choice of software package used to run the analysis pipeline can have a considerable impact on the final group‐level results of a task‐fMRI investigation (Bowring et al., 2019, BMN). Here we revisit our work, seeking to identify the stages of the pipeline where the greatest variation between analysis software is induced. We carry out further analyses on the three datasets evaluated in BMN, employing a common processing strategy across parts of the analysis workflow and then utilizing procedures from three software packages (AFNI, FSL, and SPM) across the remaining steps of the pipeline. We use quantitative methods to compare the statistical maps and isolate the main stages of the workflow where the three packages diverge. Across all datasets, we find that variation between the packages' results is largely attributable to a handful of individual analysis stages, and that these sources of variability were heterogeneous across the datasets (e.g., choice of first‐level signal model had the most impact for the balloon analog risk task dataset, while first‐level noise model and group‐level model were more influential for the false belief and antisaccade task datasets, respectively). We also observe areas of the analysis workflow where changing the software package causes minimal differences in the final results, finding that the group‐level results were largely unaffected by which software package was used to model the low‐frequency fMRI drifts.

Criticism of “Bourgeois” Political Doctrines: Cognition through Denial

In the historiography of political and legal doctrines, along with general scientific research methods, traditional methods are used: chronological, problematic, portrait, country studies. The critical approach is applied in all types of research of political ideas. Meanwhile, in historiography, this method is not given the attention it deserves. Criticism always involves an assessment of the empirical and theoretical material contained in various texts (sources). The productivity of this method is obvious. A critical approach makes it possible to assess the scientific content of a particular political doctrine, as well as the practical prospects for its implementation. Criticism implies a deep immersion of the researcher into the problem and maximum objectivity in evaluating the results obtained. This is what is most often lacking. The legal sphere is already political and is an integral part of it. Political doctrines, as well as the law (one of the forms of expression of law), are always connected with the interests of social groups (In the former terminology — classes). In this regard, it is not necessary to expect neutrality in the estimates. This was the case at the time of total administration in the field of social sciences, and it is happening today, when methodological pluralism and ideological diversity are declared. During the Soviet period, “bourgeois” doctrines and their creators were particularly criticized. As time has shown, this criticism was largely justified. History as such consistently confirms a curious pattern: “progressive” thinkers eventually become “reactionary”, as well as vice versa. Moreover, not only in our country. The paper states the dual orientation of criticism. On the one hand, a critical approach allows a more objective assessment of the political and legal doctrine. This shows its cognitive (cognitive) aspect. On the other hand, criticism gives the researcher a chance to convey to the reader the essence of any theory, doctrine, and idea and give him the opportunity to evaluate them himself. In the conditions of actual censorship, criticism remains almost the only genre of characterization of political and legal doctrines.

Illustrating the Value of Critical Methodologies Through Third-sector Gender Studies: A Case for Pluralism

To encourage methodological pluralism in the field, this paper examines an illustrative sample of articles that apply critical approaches to third-sector studies focused on gender. Specifically, the paper analyzes three articles that were previously identified as among the most critical work on gender in the field between 1970 and 2009 to illustrate how critical research is produced and the value it brings to third-sector studies. We find this work: uncovers hidden assumptions and/or uncomfortable erasures that mask gender-based inequities and injustices; resists hegemonic scientific norms in doing and writing research; and rejects ‘woman’ as a uniform object of theorizing. We discuss against what methodological standards such work should be evaluated and suggest a wider understanding of these ‘alternative’ standards, which might derive significant benefits for the field through increased critical scholarship and the unique features it brings.

Waiting for IR Godot? In search of transformative encounters between Middle Eastern Studies and International Relations

AbstractWithin the Special Issue ‘Reaching for allies? The dialectics and overlaps between International Relations and Area Studies in the study of politics, security, and conflicts’, this article investigates the post-2011 changing relationship between International Relations (IR) and Middle Eastern Studies (MES). The article departs from the assumption that the reading and writing of security in, on and from the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region has historically been trapped between the projection of security from abroad and endogenous security narratives. We argue that within the post-Arab uprisings renewed scholarly attention, with studies on security in, on and from the MENA region expressing an all-time methodological pluralism and the increasing and original application of bottom-up and non-military security understandings to regional security, societal and human security are among the most promising notions for transformative dialogue between IR and MES. In broader theoretical terms, we show how the ongoing debate on post-Weberian notions of statehood and post-Westphalian sovereignty point to an already transformative dialogue between IR and MES. The article illustrates this trend with two case studies – on Tunisia and on Iraq – pointing to changing security concepts reflecting changing security practices.

Enhancing the quality and social impacts of urban planning through community-engaged operations research

While inquiry in operations research (OR) modeling of urban planning processes is long-standing, on the whole, the OR discipline has not influenced urban planning practice, teaching and scholarship at a level of other domains such as public policy and information technology. Urban planning presents contemporary challenges that are complex, multi-stakeholder, data-intensive, and ill structured. Could an OR approach which focuses on the complex, emergent nature of cities, the institutional environment in which urban planning strategies are designed and implemented and which puts citizen engagement and a critical approach at the center enable urban planning to better meet these challenges? Based on a review of research and practice in OR and urban planning, we argue that a prospective and prescriptive approach to planning that is inductive in nature and embraces “methodological pluralism” and mixed methods can enable researchers and practitioners develop effective interventions that are equitable and which reflect the concerns of community members and community serving organizations. We discuss recent work in transportation, housing, and community development that illustrates the benefits of embracing an enhanced OR modeling approach both in the framing of the model and in its implementation, while bringing to the fore three cautionary themes. First, a mechanistic application of decision modeling principles rooted in stylized representations of institutions and systems using mathematics and computational methods may not adequately capture the central role that human actors play in developing neighborhoods and communities. Second, as innovations such as the mass adoption of automobiles decades ago led to auto-centric city design show, technological innovations can have unanticipated negative social impacts. Third, the current COVID pandemic shows that approaches based on science and technology alone are inadequate to improving community lives. Therefore, we emphasize the important role of critical approaches, community engagement and diversity, equity, and inclusion in planning approaches that incorporate decision modeling.

The Long Road to Shared PCK: a Science Teacher’s Personal Journey

Teachers’ development can be seen as a dialog between their reflective thinking and their actions, with an added gradient of complexity from their social interactions. All of these elements are conjugated within their classroom practice, with their Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK) as theoretical background. This paper analyzes the case of a secondary education science teacher’s development over different periods, with a focus on classroom atmosphere, social organization and problem-based interactions, the influence of the topic being taught, and the teacher’s participation in an Action-Research group. The sources of information included the teacher’s diaries, questionnaires, interviews, ethnographic records, and extracts from videotaped sessions of her lessons. The data analysis for the areas of reflection and of action was approached with methodological plurality. Although these two fields of study (reflection and action) share essential aspects, they presented subtle differences, with reflection being more fully developed than action in the classroom, and the contribution of the Action-Research group to the teacher’s development was important, but less so than her professional command of the content. Two underlying obstacles deeply rooted in the teacher’s thinking and actions impregnate her classroom interactions: classroom competitiveness, and the use of excessively rigid activities.

The “Symbolic Worldview” of V. Solovyov and the Issue of the Development of the Historical Process: An Interpretation by F.A. Stepun (1884–1965)

This article presents F.A. Stepun’s interpretation of the views of the outstanding Russian philosopher Vladimir Solovyov (1853–1900) concerning the issue of the direction of historical development, as an integral part of Solovyov’s philosophy of unitotality. It must be observed that this part of Stepun’s creative output has not yet been sufficiently studied. In fact, Stepun’s interpretation of Solovyov’s views in the context of religious symbolism facilitates a deeper understanding of Solovyov’s conception as well as the comprehension of the theoretical sources of the historical and religious constructions of Stepun himself. This study emphasizes the importance of Solovyov’s work and personality for Russia’s Silver Age culture, including his religious and philosophical trajectory, to which Stepun himself belonged. The interest of scholars in Solovyov’s work is also documented, with a particular focus on the contribution the Russian émigré community gave to its study: these authors, in fact, managed to preserve during emigration the best traditions of Russian culture, in general, and of Russian religious and philosophical thought, in particular. The core of a number of theoretical statements of Solovyov’s historiosophy will be also provided, along with Stepun’s interpretation of them. Moreover, the special nature of the “methodological pluralism”, which is peculiar to Stepun’s approach to research, will be analyzed as well as the importance for him of religious symbolism’s method in the study of Solovyov’s views on the historical process. Finally, the great meaning of Solovyov’s doctrine of God-manhood for Stepun’s work will be explored. The main theoretical statements of this doctrine turned out to be compatible with his ideas on the ontology of history, on its structure, and on its anthropological nature. It will be also emphasized the perception of the historicity and “singularity” of Christ, which is peculiar for Solovyov, and subsequently for Stepun, being it the key for Christianity, in general, and for Christian historicism, in particular. The conclusion deals with the significant influence of Solovyov’s ideas on Stepun’s historical and philosophical studies, as well as with the importance of the problems that concern the study of the intellectual history of Russia.

The Internet of Things: Trends and Development Prospects

This article looks at the trends and development prospects of the Internet of Things. The Internet of Things is viewed as a strategic factor in economic growth that leads to the emergence of new business segments, changes in the existing business models, the structure of industry markets, economy, and society in general, and evolution of the legal matter. The newly developed socio-economic relations are transforming into legal relations. Smart contracts suggest looking at the classical legal doctrine of contractual law from a different angle. The objective of the research is to examine the specific features and development prospects of the Internet of Things, analyze the existing frameworks of its legal coverage, their advantages and disadvantages, and suggest optimal conditions for the regulation of the Internet of Things. In the course of the creation of this article, the following methods are used: methods of gathering and studying individual facts; the generalization method; the method of scientific abstraction; the method of pattern recognition; methodological objectivity, specificity, and pluralism. According to the conclusion made in this article, the Internet of Things represents a network of identified objects that interact with each other and with the external environment via the Internet and embedded systems without human involvement. The usage of the Internet of Things in the context of big data leads to information legal relations when information can serve as an object of economic turnover. At the same time, from the perspective of civil law, exchange of information is viewed as rendering service or relations connected with results of intellectual activity, including databases and know-how. However, these concepts do not apply to the sphere of the Internet of Things. Thus, it is necessary to develop an approach that would make provisions for a legal framework allowing defining information as a subject of civil transactions.

The Importance of Methodological Pluralism in Nonprofit Finance

The Importance of Methodological Pluralism in Nonprofit Finance

Methodological Pluralism of Legal Thinking: Problems of Theory and Philosophy of Law

Introduction. Currently, in theoretical and legal science, discussions continue about the un- derstanding of the content and the methodology of the knowledge of law. This article shows the theoretical approaches to the study of law in different historical periods. Law is analysed from the point of view of formal dogmatic jurisprudence, sociological direction in law, and the theory of natural law in both their historical and theoretical aspects. Theoretical Basis. Methods. The purpose of this work is to study the content of law as a sociocultural phenomenon. To achieve this, the following tasks are examined: the analy- sis of law as the most important social regulator of human activity is undertaken – which shows the right as a part of spiritual life. Further, the main legal schools and trends in law are analysed. In the course of the study, the following methods were used: analysis and synthesis, a her- meneutic, and a comparative approach. Results. As a result of the study, the author came to the following conclusions: 1) the plurality of methodological approaches to the study of the nature and purpose of law are due to the dialogical nature of theoretical and legal sciences (philosophy of law, theory of state and law, history of political and legal doctrines, and the sociology of law); 2) the basis of the methodological pluralism of legal thinking lies in the different content of law. This is where law is understood as an interest, as a freedom, as a social duty, as a morality, as an order of the authorities, as the discretion of a judge, as well as the degree of implementation of the legal phenomenon in the concrete historical conditions of society; 3) each doctrine of law and the state is a model for solving the legal issues of its time. This includes proposing and arguing for one or another option for maintaining public order. It is original and can (and should) be applied in specific socio-political conditions. Discussion and Conclusion. Each doctrine of law and the state is a model for solving legal issues of its time. Offering various options for resolving urgent political and legal issues, these theories can (and do) enter into conflicts with each other. Each of the legal concepts, offering and arguing for one or another option for maintaining public order, is original and can (and should) be used in specific socio-political conditions. At the doctrinal level, political and legal concepts are variants of alternative legal thinking, the validity and relevance of which is confirmed by the degree of demand at a particular historical stage of the develop- ment of society, law, and the state.

Use of MOOCs in Health Care Training: A Descriptive-Exploratory Case Study in the Setting of the COVID-19 Pandemic

This exploratory study is part of the training and innovation project (GID2016-16) of the National University of Distance Education (UNED) in Spain. The current socioeconomic and educational contexts derived from COVID-19 has led university institutions to develop methodological innovations in the teaching-learning process. Among these strengthening measures are the MOOCs, the most appropriate strategy to bring students closer to new digital platforms that favor the acquisition of knowledge. A methodological pluralism, combining quantitative and qualitative perspectives, has been used. The main results of the descriptive analysis compare the data of students enrolled in the MOOC, “Social and Health Care and Social Services in Social Work”, and other related bachelor’s and master’s degree courses during the four years analyzed. One of the conclusions is the emerging possibility of offering university studies that are more in line with the current teleworking market. The development of online methodologies favors the democratization of education, reaching the student body as a whole and universalizing content and learning. Among the main conclusions, it is worth highlighting the degree of satisfaction shown by the students who took advantage of the MOOC, and the training opportunities afforded by MOOC courses, during the time of COVID-19.

An integrative and participatory coastal habitat mapping framework for sustainable development actions in the United Arab Emirates

Coastal habitat mapping is a potentially powerful enabling tool to inform the design of strategies and actions in coastal zone planning and management, biodiversity conservation and more recently for blue carbon accounting. Habitat mapping is typically carried out by experts in remote sensing and geographical information systems, and rarely integrates stakeholders’ local ecological knowledge. To address a key knowledge gap in a previously unmapped coastal region of the Arabian Gulf, we applied a mixed-methods habitat mapping framework that integrates conventional remote sensing methods with shared knowledge from participatory mapping with local stakeholders. Using methodological pluralism, an accurate and cost-effective coastal habitat map was produced that had local relevance, facilitated knowledge exchange, considered socio-ecological factors, and incorporated spatial details that would have been absent or under-represented with conventional remote sensing methods. We demonstrate the relevance of the coastal habitat map as an enabler of actions that address multiple local and global sustainable development and biodiversity conservation policy targets for the Arabian Gulf coast of the United Arab Emirates.

Contextualizing Management Research: An Open Systems Perspective

AbstractManagement researchers rely frequently on theoretical perspectives originating in North American and European contexts. Given the influences context has on scholarship, the question becomes if using primarily Western theories provides researchers with the design insights needed to capture the robust context of the setting in which they conduct their studies. Herein, we seek to establish a foundation for developing fertile exchanges of ideas regarding contextualized management research. To do this, we examine some of the main theories in management studies through the heuristic lens of an ‘open systems’ framework that allows us to build on comparative management and institutional theories. We discuss existing theory advances in selected areas of management studies, including corporate governance, strategic management, entrepreneurship, and corporate social responsibility (CSR) to offer avenues for future research. Completing studies with a solid grounding in contextualized management theories has the potential to provide novel research avenues and opportunities to integrate diverse theoretical perspectives. We also identify a need for multidisciplinary research, epistemological openness, and methodological pluralism.

Assessment of civic learning and democratic engagement

AbstractRecalibrating the role of higher education in higher education is no small task. Assessment is vital to understand which efforts prove fruitful and which do not. This chapter discusses the importance of thoughtful framing and design of CLDE learning outcomes, methodological pluralism, and the opportunities available by sharing assessment findings.

Performance of a phylogenetic independent contrast method and an improved pairwise comparison under different scenarios of trait evolution after speciation and duplication

Abstract Despite the importance of gene function to evolutionary biology, the applicability of comparative methods to gene function is poorly known. A specific case which has crystallized methodological questions is the ‘orthologue conjecture’, the hypothesis that function evolves faster after duplication (i.e. in paralogues), and conversely is conserved between orthologues. Since the mode of functional evolution after duplication is not well known, we investigate under which reasonable evolutionary scenarios phylogenetic independent contrasts or pairwise comparisons can recover a putative signal of different functional evolution between orthologues and paralogues. We investigate three different simulation models, which represent reasonable but simplified hypotheses about the evolution of a gene function trait. These are time‐dependent trait acceleration, correlated changes in rates of both sequence and trait evolution and asymmetric trait jump. For each model we tested phylogenetic independent contrasts and an improved pairwise comparison method which accounts for interactions between events and node age. Both approaches lose power to detect the trend of functional evolution when the functional trait accelerates for a long time following duplication for trees with many duplications, with better power of phylogenetic contrasts under intermediate scenarios. Concomitant increase in evolutionary rates of sequence and of trait after duplication can lead to both an incorrect rejection of the null under null simulations of trait evolution, and a false rejection of the orthologue conjecture under orthologue conjecture simulations, by phylogenetic independent contrasts. Improved pairwise comparisons are robust to this bias. Both approaches perform equally well under rapid shifts in traits. Considering our ignorance of gene function evolution, and the potential for bias under simple models, we recommend methodological pluralism in studying gene family evolution. Functional phylogenomics is complex and results supported by only one method should be treated with caution.

Building quantitative literacy in critical human geography curriculum

ABSTRACT This paper argues for increased attention to quantitative literacy in undergraduate critical human geography curriculum. The rationale is twofold: On the one hand, it is increasingly easy to integrate quantitative material into curriculum, given the widespread availability of open-source or low-cost platforms for interpreting data. On the other hand, it is increasingly important to develop quantitative literacy informed by critical theory in a political era of anti-science rhetoric and resurgent propaganda. The paper reviews recent scholarship on quantitative methods in critical human geography, highlighting a shift toward methodological pluralism in both research and pedagogy. This creates opportunities for enhancing human geography curriculum, for instance, by applying technical skills while thinking critically about the social construction of data. This is explored with a case study on quantitative exercises in introductory Human Geography curriculum at a public university in the United States, evaluating strategies for integrating critical spatial theory with quantitative data analysis, and tools for assessing the educational value added by their integration.

A objeção de Popper e Berlin à tese do relativismo cultural

PROBLEM: The problematic of this article covers the theoretical position of Karl R. Popper and Isaiah Berlin on the thesis of cultural relativism. OBJECTIVES: This study aims to present Karl Popper's and Isaiah Berlin's counterpoints to the cultural relativism thesis, mainly by examining the texts The Myth of Context and The Search for the Ideal. METHODOLOGY: Using the deductive method, first Popper's theoretical position on the thesis of cultural relativism will be analyzed. After that, Berlin's theoretical position will be analyzed. Finally, both positions will be analyzed in exemplary cases. RESULT: The analysis carried out allows us to criticize the thesis of cultural relativism, according to which any rational discussion is only possible with the sharing of common contexts. It advances by proposing the need for confrontation between different cultures and contexts and the use of in the critique of relativism. CONCLUSIONS: As a conclusion of the paper, according to relativism, rational discussion would only be possible if individuals shared common contexts, including cultural ones. Popper, on the contrary, affirms that our civilization comes precisely from the confrontation of different cultures and, consequently, from the confrontation of different contexts. In the same vein, Isaiah Berlin suggests methodological pluralism in the struggle against relativism; collisions, for him, are part of the essence of values. Berlin advises to criticize those who suggest that these contradictions will be resolved in some perfect world.

Mapping recreational ecosystem services from stakeholders' perspective in the Azores

Mapping and Assessment of Ecosystems and their Services (MAES) in Europe’s Outermost Regions (ORs) and Overseas Countries and Territories (OCTs) is still underdeveloped compared to the European mainland. Most of those territories are small islands for which Marine and Coastal Ecosystems (MCE) constitute a significant resource and provide important provisioning, regulating and cultural Ecosystem Services (ES). Understanding the cultural dimension of ecosystems and considering the cultural benefits and values associated with them, demands methodological plurality, flexibility and creativity. This study focused on two activities related to recreational ES (recreational fishing and recreational SCUBA diving) that are particularly relevant to São Miguel Island (Archipelago of the Azores, Portugal). Stakeholders were interviewed using SeaSketch, a participatory mapping tool in which they indicated where they conduct recreational fishing and scuba diving, the relative value of those areas, in terms of preference over other areas and their willingness to relinquish them for the purpose of conservation. Responses were aggregated and represented in maps showing key areas for the provision of recreational ES around São Miguel. This approach can be used in the Azorean Maritime Spatial Planning (MSP) process and other on-going conservation initiatives, to better understand the trade-offs between relevant socio-economic activities and to support negotiations between the government and groups of stakeholders.