Positive Science Research Articles

The Political Economy of Sustainability

Sustainability is a “contested” concept introduced at the beginning of the 18th century in German forestry circles concerned about sustainable harvests and rebranded in 1987 as “sustainable development” by the Brundtland Report, which defined it as harmonious economic, social, and ecological development that enhances both current and future potential to meet human needs and aspirations. However, after more than three decades of sustainable development, humanity is on an unsustainable path featuring rampant ecosystem damage, rising social inequality, and harmful cultural homogenization. This paper is a book review of Fred P. Gale’s Political Economy of Sustainability, a book published in 2018 by Edward Elgar Publishers. The book advances the innovative idea that the current lack of progress in implementation of the sustainable development goals is due to the narrow understanding by individuals, firms, states, and political parties of the values underlying sustainability. The book thus starts a much-needed conversation about economic values, a conversation ousted from the neo-classical economics discipline in the late 19th century by the marginalist thinkers who wanted to make it a positive science. The book identifies four elemental economic values—exchange value, labor value, use value, and function value—and argues that basing our socio-economic and political development on only one type of value with the exclusion of the others has led to the current dangerously unsustainable path humankind is on. Achieving sustainability value requires a balanced integration of all four types of values in all deliberations about socio-economic activities. How can this be accomplished? The author proposes a pragmatic solution in the form of a “tetravaluation” process, a dialogue involving multiple value holders able to reflexively negotiate and compromise until the pluralistic sustainability value is discovered and accepted by all the parties. The book challenges the unsustainable functioning of existing economic, political, and cultural institutions and invites a rethinking of their governance, which should deliberately embrace the pluralistic value of sustainability. The tetravaluation process has the potential to generate sustainable choices and inform better policy decisions able to protect at the same time the proponents of exchange value (consumers), the promoters of labor value (workers, producers), the beneficiaries of use value (communities), and the holder of functional values (the environment).

Nature-based solutions as discursive tools and contested practices in urban nature’s neoliberalisation processes

‘Nature-based solutions’ is the new jargon used to promote ideas of urban sustainability, which is gaining traction in both academic and policy circles, especially in the European Union. Through an analysis of the definitions and discourse around nature-based solutions, we discern a number of assumptions stemming from positivist science that are embedded in the term, and which we find create an inviting space for nature’s neoliberalisation processes. We provide empirical analysis of how these assumptions realise in two city-initiated projects in Barcelona, Spain, that have been identified as nature-based solutions: the green corridor of Passeig de Sant Joan and the community garden of Espai Germanetes supported under the municipal Pla Buits scheme. Both projects were born in a neoliberal political climate, but their outcomes in terms of neoliberalism and its contestation were very distinct – not least because of the different forms of governance and socio-natural interaction that these two projects foster. Urban nature can serve elite economic players at the expense of widespread socio-ecological benefits. But it can also serve as a ground for the articulation of demands for open and participatory green spaces that go beyond precarious and controlled stewardship for, or market-mediated interactions with, urban nature. We urge for future research and practice on nature-based solutions to be more critical of the term itself, and to guide its instrumentalisation in urban planning away from neoliberal agendas and towards more emancipatory and just socio-ecological futures.

HOLISMIN MANAGERIAL DECISION MAKING

The paper mirrors the rising maturity of systems thought and Systems language in managerial decision-makiııg or problem management. It is based upon the assumption that building blocks of reality are not parts but ıvholes—systems in which ill-structured and systemic problems having social and behavioral aspects and interdependeııcy cannot be worked out w'ıth the mettıods and techııiques of reductionist positivist Science. They require better-equipped ‘holism ’ to deal with. In this regard, systems thought and systems language play a significant role as a unified approach to problem management It emphasizes the complementary role of various systems metaphors and systems methodologies in managerial decision- making and liberates the consciousness of managers/problem- solvers/decision-makers to cope with organizational issues through systems idea.

Akhlak Bagi Pencari Ilmu

The admiration presents the devastation of praiji (hirmone) what is it that is supposed to be for a preaccessous and decree of terror (madzmuh) to be cleaned of the contuisation of the virtuous and reconceived, the true existence of the global era of the global and the great age.So the role of the education Three of education centers, especially family's fundamental education, a society of Education, a society of residence and interact with the environment, and the institution of the massive institution of a more positive, Positive Science, expected to function with the maximum of its exact maximum. If these three elements can operate its own ingenious symptoms, then it can be expected to be born generations of budimented and scholars.

«Самооправдание философии»: «междисциплинарность» как способ «встроиться» в «дисциплинарную структуру» современной науки

The existence of academic philosophy has been in question for over hundred years; the domestic «workshop of professional philosophers» was able to almost assess after the loss of ideological function by university philosophy the perseverance and the intensity of efforts to «abolish philosophy from curricula». In this regard, professional philosophers are forced to make efforts to present the subject of philosophy and its capabilities in a way that proves the «benefit» and shows the «organic connection» of philosophy to the disciplinary structured «positive sciences». One of the most «influential» and «innovative» ways to present philosophy as a «place to exercise interdisciplinary» is the subject of this paper; analysis of the basic forms of «recipe» by philosophy of «the principle of interdisciplinary» is done; the «essence» and «perspectives» of the named transformation of the subject of philosophy are revealed in the paper in the horizon of the «radical» understanding of the subject of philosophy by M. Heidegger. It is established that in the Heidegger perspective of the definition of the subject of philosophy, efforts aimed at «synthesizing» philosophical methodological justification with the practice of scientific research carried out in «positive sciences» (first of all in natural science) are quite superfluous: New European philosophy, until any special «instrumentalization» of it, is already in «unity» with New European science, and essentially — in the common basis for them. All subsequent attempts at synthesis are due to the uncertainty of philosophy about its «subject», and confusion about its function in the modern system of knowledge. It was concluded that in the process of «learning» interdisciplinary, the traditional functions of philosophy — «methodological» and «inclusive» (K. Jaspers) are realized primarily through justified proposals to change the language of discussions in order to achieve «consensus» (B. Holbrook); philosophy performs the «critical» function by «involving» philosophical knowledge in topical «discussions» on social and political issues (R. Frodman). The paper concludes that the perspectives of the studied direction of the “transformation” of academic philosophy can only be assessed by agreeing/not agreeing with the proposed innovative «revision» of the understanding of the «essence of philosophical knowledge».

Антропология как строгая наука? К вопросу о методологическом обосновании философской антропологии Статья 2. Макс Шелер. В поисках метода

The article continues the series of works devoted to the problem of methodological substantiation of the subject of philosophical anthropology, and thereby its substantiation as a strict science. The conversation is based on search materials carried out in the German classics of the ХХ century. The first article was devoted to the experience of E. Husserl. This article is devoted to the M. Scheler’s search. The author thus relies not so much on the published and very fragmentary works of M. Scheler as on the drafts of the philosopher, his diaries, lying without the application for a long time. It turns out that M. Scheler did not so much build philosophical anthropology as a positive science, but rather understood it more as a methodological science, that is, as reflexive, in which a certain search method is built, precisely because a person acts not so much as an object or subject but as constantly open problem, the one that overcomes itself, its own measure.

Por una ciencia para y con los sujetos.

La metodología configuracionista para la investigación social reúne una serie de contribuciones elaboradas por De la Garza en el campo de la epistemología de las ciencias sociales. El texto es una tenaz defensa de la ciencia que batalla ecuánimemente contra los postulados del positivismo y la ciencia estándar (remontándose a los textos que De la Garza produjo en la década del ’80) y contra lo que el autor llama “antiepistemología” (o, dicho de otra forma, el impacto que el pospositivismo y el giro lingüístico ha tenido sobre la comunidad científica). El autor se ocupa, en los diferentes capítulos, de desarmar los supuestos ontológicos y epistémico-metodológicos sobre los que se apoyan estas perspectivas para, luego, sentar las bases de una nueva ciencia social.

Economic Normativity: The Case of the Budget Constraint

In contrast to the dominant way of thinking in economics, in which economics is seen as a positive or neutral science, this paper argues that economics is a discipline that has its own normativity. This economic normativity should be distinguished from what is usually considered as ethics, which normally has a broader scope (e.g., stewardship). This paper further argues that the budget constraint is a key source of economic normativity, although it is not the only source. Economic-theoretical and philosophical aspects are discussed, and consequences for economic life and policy are assessed.

Charting recreation and tourism geography in Taiwan: a review of the literature 1946–2016

ABSTRACT Since the inception of a Kuomintang-led governance in 1949, recreation and tourism geography in Taiwan has evolved to meet the conditions of the times. Its development represents a unique case periphery to the core Anglo-American international discipline and therefore it is worthwhile investigating how geography studies can adapt to unique circumstances through the application of a number of theoretical paradigms. To illustrate the case of Taiwan’s recreation and tourism geography development, 318 articles were found in the Chinese Geographical Society’s (2008), Centennial Table of Contents/Index of Chinese Geographical Writings (Mainland, 1911–1949; Taiwan, 1949 to present). These articles have been categorized by date of publication, distinguished by five historical periods ranging from 1946 to 2016. They have also been identified by geography studies paradigms, including regional studies, positivism and spatial science, behavioural; humanistic, radical, cultural turn, and applied geography. This review of recreation and tourism geography literature in Taiwan takes an interpretive approach to exploring how its research reflects active responses to unique local social-political and economic challenges of the times. It also illustrates how geographers may, at times, counter dominant development policies and it also demonstrates how the discipline can be highly localized and subject to academic agendas.

STEM and gender at university: focusing on Irish undergraduate female students’ perceptions

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to identify whether or not females believe they associate with the culture of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) by investigating the perceptions of female students currently enroled in STEM courses.Design/methodology/approachThe paper presents data from a survey on female STEM students’ “Perspectives of women in STEM”, “Parents’ Science qualification”, “Supports in their STEM Course” and their “Science identify” through a social capital lens. Both qualitative and quantitative methods were used to analyse the data.FindingsThe main findings were that female STEM undergraduates believe social bias, balancing work and family life and lack of role models are the main cause of less women in STEM professions and leadership positions. There were statistically significant differences between how male and female students identified with certain traits, with less females claiming to be intelligent and know about latest discoveries than males.Research limitations/implicationsTo eradicate stereotypical views of scientists, it is recommended that Irish higher-education institutions introduce initiatives to increase the socialisation of STEM females within female networks and develop female students’ self-awareness of their own capabilities. The expansion of STEM networks could act as a means to facilitate female students adopting positive science identities, increasing their science capital.Originality/valueIn Ireland, there is a paucity of literature relating to females’ experience of STEM in higher education. This paper provides evidence that despite their engagement with STEM, female undergraduate students subscribe to the stereotypical image of the scientist. This study highlights the need to change the culture experienced by female STEM undergraduates in Ireland so as to improve the experiences and trajectories of women in higher education.

An Orientalist Contribution to “Catholic Science”: The Historiography of Andalusi Mysticism and Philosophy in Julián Ribera and Miguel Asín

This article provides a historiographical analysis of the principal works on Andalusi mysticism and philosophy in Spain at the turn of the twentieth century. It portrays the intellectual background in which the Arabist scholars Julián Ribera (1858–1934) and Miguel Asín Palacios (1871–1944) developed their studies, and their particular “presentist” concerns, highlighting how their works and publications on this field cannot be detached from contemporary national debates on religious issues. The contribution of these Orientalist scholars was especially relevant to the transnational movement in defense of a Catholic science. The adherents of this movement sought ways of stressing the compatibility of dogma with the findings of unbiased scientific works, against the perceived attack to religious doctrine they sensed coming from positivist science. The Spanish Orientalists would bring to light the importance of Eastern Christian thought in the development of medieval Muslim theology, therefore vindicating the Christian origins of Andalusi philosophical and theological production and rendering it easier for the Catholic Spanish public to come to terms with Orientalist queries.

Experimental Method and the Spiritualist Soul: The Case of Victor Cousin

Spiritualism designates a philosophy that lays claim to the separation of mind and body and the ontological and epistemological primacy of the former. In France, it is associated with the names of Victor Cousin and René Descartes, or more precisely with what Cousin made of Descartes as the founding father of a brittle rational psychology, closed off from the positive sciences, and as a critic in respect to the empiricist legacy of the idéologues. Moreover, by considering merely the end result, severed from its polemical genesis, we are prevented from understanding how the category of experience constituted a crucial question for spiritualism itself. Through returning to the origin of these discussions in the 1826 preface to Cousin’s Fragments philosophiques, this essay pursues a threefold path: to show (1) that the public birth of Cousinian spiritualism coincides with the affirmation of applying the experimental method, issuing from Bacon, to the study of facts of consciousness; (2) that Cousin’s later evolution follows a process of radicalization—that is, in this context, of ontologization and of reduction; and (3) that by recovering this genesis, we can distinguish many forms of spiritualisms committed to the experimental method, both in alliance with the early Cousin and against the later Cousin. In this way, we can rediscover the interwoven philosophical links, lost in the process of institutionalization, between metaphysical demands and empiricist concerns, or between “French” philosophy and the legacy of Condillac.

Introduction: Debates on Experience and Empiricism in Nineteenth Century France

Introduction: Debates on Experience and Empiricism in Nineteenth Century France

Niet meer dan een speldenprik

Willem Trommel reflects on the ambitions of Positive Public Administration. He observes that Positive Public Administration is at heart the product of a longing for positivist science and ‘real facts’ in public debate, arguing instead that a more radical overhaul of the discipline is required towards Provocative Public Administration.

ÎSÂRIN TASAVVUFÎ DERİNLİĞİ: BİLİMSEL YAKLAŞIM İLE BİR KIYASLAMA

Bu makale, îsâr kavramını kıyaslama yoluyla incelemeyi amaçlamaktadır. Kıyaslamanın bir tarafında –ağırlıklı olarak psikoloji olmak üzere- pozitif bilimler diğer tarafında ise sûfî düşünce yer almaktadır. On dokuzuncu yüzyılın ortalarından bu yana, pozitif bilimler de özgeciliği konu edinmiştir. Yani dinî içerikli bir kavram, bilimsel bir yaklaşımla yeniden yorumlanmaktadır. Bu durum, kavramın anlaşılma kodlarında önemli bir değişimin oluştuğunu da gösterir. Makalenin problem alanını bu değişim ve bu değişimin arka planını oluşturan düşünsel farkların niteliği oluşturmaktadır. Makalede üç aşamalı bir yol izlenmiştir. Birinci aşamada özgecilik kavramına dair bilimsel yaklaşımlar ortaya konulmuştur. İkinci aşamada, îsârın sûfî düşüncedeki derinliği analiz edilmiştir. Son aşamada ise bir karşılaştırma ile benzer ve farklı yönlerin tespit ve değerlendirmesi yapılmıştır.

Who gets to study whom: survivor research and peer review processes

This article explores the ways in which hidden biases against survivor research can emerge through the anonymity of peer review processes. We describe how this occurs in part because of an epistemological clash between the positivist science underpinning much mental health and psychiatric research, but also because of norms surrounding who has the right to study whom, norms that survivor research challenges. We conclude with some suggestions for ways forward.

Applying design science approach to architectural design development

Unlike research methods for social and positivist sciences, those for architectural design lack a discipline-specific conceptual framework. Performative science aims at producing outcomes for future use and therefore needs a robust methodological approach that encompasses different techniques and methods supporting an evidence-based architectural design development. This study suggests that design science can be successfully applied to architectural design development and provides architects and designers with a powerful tool bridging the gap between research and design. In so doing, this study explores the application of design science to implement a user-centered design approach. A design challenge is reframed within the robust framework of design science by referring to a case study on refugee shelters. The traditional method by which shelter optimization is pursued by designers is questioned by involving the final users through an ethnographic approach within the framework of design science. The design outcome produced through this process is a list of specifications allowing designers to create different architectural solutions and matching the requirements expressed by future users. The authors argue that a user-centered design outcome can be achieved and validated through design science.

Relations between mathematics achievement growth and the development of mathematics self-concept in elementary and middle grades

Creating an educational program that results in positive science, technology, engineering, and mathematics or STEM-oriented outcomes for all students is an important education objective and federal policy directive in the United States. In addition to developing strong mathematics foundations in Grades K–8 that are closely associated with successful STEM outcomes, intrapersonal skill development is also critical to academic and postsecondary success. Using nationally representative data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Class of 1998–99 the current study applied structural equation growth modeling to examine relationships among mathematics achievement in Grades K–1 and Grades 3–8, and mathematics self-concept development across Grades 3–8. Study results revealed that students reported declining levels of mathematics self-concept across the middle grades. Importantly, third grade reports of self-concept were associated with both mathematics achievement at kindergarten entry and third grade mathematics achievement; however, mathematics achievement at kindergarten entry was also associated with the development of mathematics self-concept in third through eighth grade. In addition, after accounting for mathematics achievement in Grades K–1, mathematics achievement growth in Grades 3–8 was directly associated with mathematics self-concept development across the same time period. Implications for future research, mathematics instruction, and curriculum development are discussed.

VISUAL ARTS-BASED RESEARCH METHODS IN SOCIAL SCIENCE RESEARCH

Toward the end of the 20th century, scholars in various fields of science started to challenge the dominant position of discursive research methods based on verbal materials. This pursuit was motivated by the inadequacy of positivistic science in addressing the sphere of visual, sensory, embodied, and emotional experiences. Inspired by the visual, material, sensory, and emotional turns in social sciences, social science researchers began to develop and apply arts-based research methods aiming to diversify the understanding of the social world provided by discursive research methods. The study at hand discusses the contribution of arts-based research to social science research, based on literature on arts-based research. In particular, the study concentrates on visual arts-based research. At first, it sketches the background of arts-based research in social sciences and summarizes briefly the scope of arts-based research in social work, management, and organizational studies, as well as sociology. Then the study defines arts-based research and discusses the contribution of visual arts-based research methods to social science research, paying attention to their limitations, as well. Finally, conclusions are drawn and suggestions for future research are made. The study shows that arts-based methods may motivate and encourage participants to reflect on the topic of the research and share their thoughts and feelings. In addition, arts-based research may appeal to emotions and lived-experiences providing a more holistic insight into the participants’ experiences. Finally, arts-based methods seem to promote critical thinking.

Is Metaphysics a Science?

Once esteemed as the highest form of knowledge, the legitimacy of metaphysics as a rational discipline has been severely challenged since the rise of modern science, particularly since it seemed that while the latter reached overall consensus, the disputes in the former seemed interminable. The question naturally arises whether metaphysics could ever achieve the status of a science. The following article presents the view that metaphysics is not nor could ever become a science in the sense of the modern “hard” sciences today because a) it seeks a different sort of knowledge, which b) cannot be acquired by the methods of modern science; and c) metaphysics serves a different cognitive purpose than the sort of knowledge that science can provide. It is, nevertheless, a rational subject, one in fact that supplies the necessary rational foundation for the positive sciences.