Theoretical Pluralism Research Articles

A Possible Case of Censorship of Submissions on the Nature of Consciousness

To advance the scientific understanding of consciousness, one should be open to theoretical pluralism to freely develop and rigorously test a wide diversity of paradigm candidates and communicate the ideas and findings to the scientific community. Science development is jeopardized when journals tend to present a field’s state-of-the-art findings in a biased or misguided way or suppress investigations of a particular perspective. We describe the challenges and pitfalls we faced as guest editors during the editorial review process of a special issue of the journal Frontiers on “The Nature of Consciousness” and how we responded to it. We describe and discuss how the journal staff overruled our editorial role to enforce what was very likely academic censorship. We then offer a couple of recommendations to authors and editors that may face similar issues. We believe that following these recommendations will ultimately contribute to practical and theoretical advances in the understanding the nature of consciousness and the mind–brain relation.

Pluralism in the Cognitive Sciences: Theoretical, Methodological or Explanatory?

The article considers the opposition of the doctrines of pluralism and monism and their related principles of proliferation and unification in the context of the development of modern cognitive sciences in three important respects for philosophy of science: theoretical, methodological, and explanatory. The article criticizes T. Kuhn’s views of theoretical monism and extends the defense of theoretical pluralism undertaken in author’s previous publications devoted to the conception of theoretical complexes, aimed at the correct description of large groups of theories in the cognitive sciences, such as connectionism, moderate embodied cognition, etc. Pluralism is also defended in methodological dimension. Theoretical pluralism and methodological pluralism are represented as an inevitable consequence of the conception of theoretical complexes and its principle of proliferation calling for the creation/improvement of scientific theories and models which are both compatible and incompatible with respect to a number of basic ontological and methodological assumptions. Theoretical pluralism and methodological pluralism should promote progress with respect to a number of the so-called epistemic qualities, both associated with the approximation of the truth (e.g. predictive success, the ability to give unexpected explanations to known facts, etc.) and not so associated (empirical fit, simplicity according to some interpretations, and the broad scope of the proposed explanations). At the same time the author claims that it is currently not possible to draw a similar conclusion in relation to the explanatory context: if the strategy of explanatory monism or explanatory pluralism will turn out be the preferred strategy for the cognitive sciences should become clear in the course of further research.

The use and application of learning theory in learning analytics: a scoping review

Since its inception in 2011, Learning Analytics has matured and expanded in terms of reach (e.g., primary and K-12 education) and in having access to a greater variety, volume and velocity of data (e.g. collecting and analyzing multimodal data). Its roots in multiple disciplines yield a range and richness of theoretical influences resulting in an inherent theoretical pluralism. Such multi-and interdisciplinary origins and influences raise questions around which learning theories inform learning analytics research, and the implications for the field should a particular theory dominate. In establishing the theoretical influences in learning analytics, this scoping review focused on the Learning Analytics and Knowledge Conference (LAK) Proceedings (2011–2020) and the Journal of Learning Analytics (JLA) (2014–2020) as data sources. While learning analytics research is published across a range of scholarly journals, at the time of this study, a significant part of research into learning analytics had been published under the auspices of the Society of Learning Analytics (SoLAR), in the proceedings of the annual LAK conference and the field’s official journal, and as such, provides particular insight into its theoretical underpinnings. The analysis found evidence of a range of theoretical influences. While some learning theories have waned since 2011, others, such as Self-Regulated Learning (SRL), are in the ascendency. We discuss the implications of the use of learning theory in learning analytics research and conclude that this theoretical pluralism is something to be treasured and protected.

The Interface between Political Ecology and Actor–Network Theory: Exploring the Reality of Waste

The human–environment relationship and its association is a prominent discourse in many academic disciplines. Environmental pollution, climate change and vulnerabilities associated with waste have been major concerns for policymakers, activists and academicians across the globe over the past two decades. However, it remains under-theorised despite its significance in the academic world. Waste being a physical and external phenomenon makes it difficult for social science researchers to understand all of its sociocultural aspects with the help of any existing theoretical paradigm. This article addresses the urgent need to understand the multidimensional nature of waste and waste management with the help of political ecology and actor–network theory (ANT). The article provides the areas of possible linkages between both theories to study waste with the help of secondary research tools like the literature review. By adopting theoretical pluralism and a pragmatic approach, this article aims at explaining waste-related issues through the theoretical lens of political ecology and ANT, which corroborate and extend each other on the aspects of analysing the power structure in waste issues, in exploring the changing relationship between waste and people in the globalised world.

The multiple-theories problem: The case of spatial industrial clustering

Multiple theories of the same phenomenon abound in many interdisciplinary research areas, but it is often unclear how the theories relate, and there are no clear guidelines for dealing with this plurality. The history of research on spatial industrial clustering is a case in point. We identify a number of solutions to the problem of multiple theoretical accounts proposed in this literature. We label them definitional, taxonomic, integrative, and multi-perspectival. We then offer the erotetic solution as an indispensable complement to any attempt at resolving the multiple-theories problem. It accounts for theoretical plurality in terms of different explanation-seeking questions different theories aim to address. We analyse three prominent explanations in the recent history of research on spatial industrial clustering and show how the erotetic approach can contribute to foster interdisciplinary dialogue.

Introducing the eventful temporality of historical research into international business

Historical research represents an alternative understanding of temporality that can contribute to greater methodological and theoretical plurality in international business (IB) research. Historians focus on the importance of events within their historical context and structure their accounts through periodisation, assume that the temporal distance between the past and present determines the temporal positionality of researchers, and seek to reconstruct past events through historical sources, which require critical interpretation. Historical research provides an alternative methodological approach to temporality, context, and distance with relevance to a range of IB theories.

MELANIE KLEIN: VIGENCIA DE SU PENSAMIENTO EN LA FORMACIÓN PSICOANALÍTICA

This paper presents Melanie Klein and her main theoretical concepts and technical innovations. It reflects on the influence that her work had directly or indirectly on various currents of thought and on the importance of her contributions in Uruguay and the region. This paper discusses theoretical pluralism in psychoanalytic institutions and training, the role of supervision and the different ways of relating to theories. It also points out a critical look, articulating different visions and teamwork to produce knowledge. The importance of Klein’s thinking in psychoanalytic training is highlighted, because the validity of her ideas is in constant revision and evolution, and for the inspiration it meant for the psychoanalytic movement.

Bert Laeyendecker als docent

In this article the author deals with Laeyendecker as teacher at the Sociological Institute Leiden. He studied in that time at that institute. Laeyendecker was an outstanding teacher who was able to explain the richness of sociology’s theoretical pluralism, and to show convincingly that sociology is a thoroughly social phenomenon. He was a very gifted orator with which he could enchant the audience of students.

Must I Grow a Pair of Balls to Theorize about Theory in Organization and Management Studies?

This essay is a provocation to debate. I argue that work in organization and management studies addressing how to theorize and construct ‘good’ theory is inherently masculinized and embraces a limited pluralism that ignores alternative, reflexive and more human ways of theorizing. As I will illustrate, most of the articles on the topic of theorizing about theory are written by men, and espouse forms of theorizing that are based on a masculinized rationality that privileges abstraction, a logic of objectivity and proceduralization. And while journal editors espouse theoretical pluralism, we are often exhorted to develop ‘theoretical balls’ by conforming to limited definitions of theory that privilege particular ways of knowing and theorizing which are considered imperative to getting published. I argue that there are other equally compelling ways of ‘theorizing’ that focus on who we are as human beings and how we experience self, life and work. I begin with a critique of the literature on theorizing theory, moving on to argue that this currently limits theorizing more humanly and imaginatively, due to ontological blindness, epistemological defensiveness, hegemonic masculinity and myopic self-referentiality. Finally, I offer alternative ways of theorizing and interpreting theory from a more human and reflexive perspective.

Scientific Pluralism in Practice: Responses to Anomaly in the Sciences

Scientific pluralism has become a household position within the philosophy of science literature. There are numerous accounts of plurality within various research fields. Most scientific pluralists, however, focus on the plurality of theories, explanations, or mechanisms, while other potential targets of plurality that the philosophy of scientific practice has particularly emphasized have so far not received extensive treatment. How should we approach such practice-based candidates of plurality? And what are potential pluralist positions concerning the objects of scientific practice? In this article, I set out to answer these questions. I combine approaching a widely influential topic within the philosophy of science, scientific pluralism, with social science methodology. Using interview data combined with sociological analysis, I provide a nuanced picture of the dynamics of one particular research field that displays plurality. Focusing on how sociological configurations resonate with intellectual commitments within a research field, I disentangle practice-based from theoretical plurality. I consider how these empirical results should feedback on the scientific pluralism literature.

The Nordic research on accounting in inter-organizational relationships – the foundations of a microprocessual research approach to classical issues

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to review the Nordic research on accounting in inter-organizational relationships (IORs) and relates the Nordic contributions to the international literature. Additionally, it examines alternative approaches to the understanding of accounting in IORs and proposes some directions for future research.Design/methodology/approachThirty-one papers were identified and assessed in terms of their topic, inter-organizational setting, theoretical approach, research methods and results. This study followed a six-step process from formulating objectives, through establishing inclusion and exclusion criteria, to paper selection and mutual assessments.FindingsThe Nordic literature presents a distinct approach to the understanding of accounting in IORs. The Nordic studies are characterized by theoretical pluralism, in-depth case studies and an interest towards micro-processes in a variety of inter-organizational settings and from the point of view of multiple parties.Originality/valueThe authors propose two specific areas of research: the interconnections between accounting measures, monetary flows and value creation as well as the role of accounting in creating stability and instability in IORs. These areas of research emphasize a stronger engagement with the core issues of managing appropriation and cooperation concerns and provide an outlook for novel insights into classical issues and increased integration within the field.

Maternal and Paternal Hauntings in the Evolution of the Self: Commentary on “Where is my Mother? Childhood Trauma and the Configuration of the Self”

ABSTRACT In this commentary, I engage with selected ideas from Mendes’ paper, examining childhood trauma and the (dis) configuration of the Self. First, I focus on what the possibilities of a more triadically-inflected analysis of the relationship between the patient, her mother, and father may offer us in understanding the recalcitrant effects of trauma inside a culturally gendered triad. Second, I reflect on the foregrounded traumatogenic events surrounding the patient’s maternal loss, and highlight the role of her father as a potential driver of iatrogenic traumatic outcomes that are further consolidated within the Self. Third, I reflect obliquely on issues of training, focusing on the centrality of language in conveying clinical material, as a critical basis for generating compelling and credible sources of evidence in psychoanalytic writing. Finally, I conclude with reflections on the possibilities and limitations of theoretical diversity and pluralism, that have characterized much of the contemporary Relational Paradigm.

Feyerabend on the Quantum Theory of Measurement: A Reassessment

ABSTRACT In 1957, Feyerabend delivered a paper titled ‘On the Quantum-Theory of Measurement’ at the Colston Research Symposium in Bristol to sketch a completion of von Neumann's measurement scheme without collapse, using only unitary quantum dynamics and well-motivated statistical assumptions about macroscopic quantum systems. Feyerabend's paper has been recognised as an early contribution to quantum measurement, anticipating certain aspects of decoherence. Our paper reassesses the physical and philosophical content of Feyerabend's contribution, detailing the technical steps as well as its overall philosophical motivations and consequences. Summarising our results, Feyerabend interpreted collapse as a positivist assumption in quantum mechanics leading to a strict distinction between the uninterpreted formalism of unitary evolution in quantum mechanics and the classically interpreted observational language describing post-measurement outcomes. Thus Feyerabend took the no-collapse completion of the von Neumann measurement scheme to show the dispensability of the positivist assumption, leading the way to a realistic interpretation of quantum theory. We note, however, that there are substantial problems with his account of measurement that bring into question its viability as a legitimate foil to the orthodox view. We further argue that his dissatisfaction with the von Neumann measurement scheme is indicative of early views on theoretical pluralism.

"No Less Than A Complete Revolution": On Paulin J. Hountondji's Negative Pluralism

In this article, I analyze a concept central to the work of the Beninese philosopher Paulin Jidenu Hountondji: pluralism. Hountondji’s pluralism consists of both a theoretical pluralism, which emphasizes the importance of plurality and debate within philosophy and science, and a politico-economic pluralism, which arises in opposition to the dominative tendencies of cultural nationalism and the capitalist world-system. I contend that at the heart of both Hountondji’s theoretical and politico-economic pluralism rests a concept of negative pluralism, a political principle derived from Hountondji’s immanent critique of his own historical conjuncture. I conclude that Hountondji’s negative pluralism offers a distinct and compelling ac-count of plurality as neither innately nor instrumentally ideal. Instead, Hountondji’s negative pluralism allows us to identify, through a critique of existing political structures, forms of political compul-sion and economic exploitation which function as obstacles to universal emancipation.

Body and Spirit in the Middle Ages: Literature, Philosophy, Medicine ed. by Gaia Gubbini

Reviewed by: Body and Spirit in the Middle Ages: Literature, Philosophy, Medicine ed. by Gaia Gubbini Sarah Friedman Gaia Gubbini, ed., Body and Spirit in the Middle Ages: Literature, Philosophy, Medicine ( Berlin: De Gruyter, 2020), 284 pp. Body and Spirit in the Middle Ages: Literature, Philosophy, Medicine, edited by Gaia Gubbini, consists of fourteen papers presented at a 2014 conference at the Freie Universität Berlin. The conference was funded by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation for Gubbini's project "Breath, Sighs, and Spirits in Medieval Romance Literature." The essays in the volume, written in French, English, and Italian, examine how medieval philosophy, medicine, and literature theorized the "body and spirit question," and shed light on "the complex nature of the medieval Self" (11). While the essays are not grouped into themed sections, there are discernible thematic patterns that unite the contributions, which Gubbini helpfully highlights in her introduction. Gubbini, Danielle Jacquart, and Éric Palazzo analyze the multivalent concept of spiritus; Sarah Kay and Joachim Küpper analyze skin, senses, and emotions; Andreas Kablitz, Stephen G. Nichols, and Howard Bloch analyze the dynamics of mind and body through the lens of gender and sexuality; Aurélien Robert and Massimo Ciavolella analyze representations of illness and bodily imbalance; Irene Caiazzo and Nicolas Weill-Parot analyze the relationship between celestial and terrestrial; and, finally, Franco Suitner and Carla Casagrande analyze the representation of body and spirit in the mystic tradition. In addition to the unifying themes that Gubbini identifies, some of the essays connect in their disciplinary focus and methodological similarity. Multiple essays examine literary representations of bodily experience in light of medical, philosophical, and theological writings. Gubbini's contribution, "Corps et esprit: Les ohls espiritaus de Bernard de Ventadour et la maladie de Tristan," draws on the works of Patristic and medical writers to examine how body and spirit converge in representations of psychosomatic experience in the work of Bernard de Ventadour and in Anglo-Norman romances dedicated to the story of Tristan and Iseult. Also focusing on psychosomatic experience in medieval poetry, Ciavolella's "Melancholy and Creativity in Petrarch" examines Rerum vulgarium fragmenta (1330–74; later titled Il Canzoniere) and Secretum (1342–58) alongside classical and medieval philosophical theories of fantasy to underscore how Petrarch represents humoral imbalance and poetic creativity as intertwined. Kablitz's essay, "Petrarch and the Senses: Petrarch's Anthropology of Love and the Scholastic Transformation of Christian Ethics," performs a close reading of sonnets from Canzoniere alongside Aquinas's Quaestiones disputatae de malo (13th c.) to exemplify how scholastic philosophy's "dismissal of the self-evident superiority and power of reason and its consequences" manifests in Petrarch's [End Page 255] poetic corpus (210). Suitner's essay, "La poésie mystique: Iacopone de Todi et les contradictions de l'âme," demonstrates how the Franciscan poet Jacopone da Todi drew heavily on Franciscan mysticism's Christocentric presentation of the body as a vehicle for both sin and salvation. Instead of examining how nonliterary genres of texts influenced literary texts, Robert's essay, "Amour, imagination, et poésie dans l'oevre médicale de Gentile da Foligno," examines the presence of literary tropes within fourteenth-century Italian physician Gentile da Foligno's commentary on Avicenna's Canon. The essay compellingly demonstrates the link between Gentile da Foligno's analysis of Avicenna and poetic descriptions of lovesickness in works by Dante, Boccaccio, Petrarch, and Cavalcanti. Other essays, such as Küpper's "The Medical, the Philosophical, and the Theological Discourses on the Senses," Weill-Parot's "'Le contact virtuel' entre un esprit et un corps et l'action à distance," and Caiazzo's "Le philosophie, les astres, et la physiognomy au XIIIe siècle," connect in their examination of how the disciplines of medicine, philosophy, theology, and even astrology mutually influenced one another and, at times, diverged in their conceptualizations of the body and spirit. Küpper considers the differences and similarities between how medieval theologians and physicians conceived of "post-sensory processing mechanisms" (112). He highlights key differences in how these disciplines approached the question of how the mind converts "quantitative into qualitative data" (112), and compellingly argues that one observes "an acceptance of theoretical plurality" within "official" medieval...

Intellectual and Social-Political Contours of the Soviet Psychology of the 1970s: Based on Archival Materials of the Institute of Psychology and the Russian Academy of Sciences

The article offers an analysis of the situation in Soviet psychology in the 1970s. based on materials from the RAS Archive and the IP RAS Scientific Archive. The analysis applies the methods of intellectual history proposed by the authors of the Cambridge School. It is focused on the transcript of the meeting of the Bureau of the Philosophy and Law Section of the AS USSR on March 30, 1976, at which the results of the inspection of the Institute of Psychology by the section commission were discussed. This document, supplemented by other archival sources and published materials, shows that there were two emerging approaches in the Soviet psychology, which by this time had acquired systemized sources, namely activity theory and systems approach. Rivalry between them was not limited to theoretical disagreements, but reflected the political situation in psychology, which was characterized by the shift of leadership from the APN to the new institute of the “big academy”. The conflict was intensified by the fact that the official doctrine was not prepared to recognize theoretical pluralism and continued to adhere to Marxist monism. Under these conditions, the creation of a theory capable of serving as a framework for a variety of fields of psychological research became a necessary task for the Institute of Psychology.

Теоретические комплексы в когнитивных науках

In this work, the author further develops the idea of theoretical complexes, which has been earlier proposed for the sake of description of large theoretical movements in the cognitive sciences, such as classical computational cogni­tivism, connectionism or moderate embodied cognition. It is asserted that the lat­ter should be understood as structurally homogeneous or heterogeneous theoreti­cal complexes, which function primarily for further proliferation of scientific theories and models. It is argued that the idea of theoretical complexes is more ad­equate for the task of description of large groups of theories in the cognitive sci­ences when compared with alternative theories of T. Kuhn, I. Lakatos, L. Laudan, and B. von Eckardt. In the second part of the work, in the context of the defense of theoretical pluralism in the philosophy of science we attempt to draw the main methodological normative conclusions of the idea of theoretical complexes in the cognitive sciences. The key role here is given to the principle of prolifera­tion, which calls for the creation of scientific theories and models which are both compatible and incompatible with respect to a number of basic ontological and methodological assumptions. In conclusion, we briefly discuss the character and limitations of the proposed principle of proliferation.

The Academic Spinoff Theory of the Firm

This paper reviews the key theories of the firm and considers their relevance to studying and understanding academic spinoffs as a special case of firms. The theory of the firm is an important aspect in entrepreneurship literature, as without clear understanding of the parameters influencing firm's behaviour, it remains difficult to predict its decisions to secure sustainable growth and ensure development of the economy overall. The paper considers the contribution of transaction cost theory, managerial theory, resource-based view, knowledge-based view, and dynamic capabilities, to the understanding of the academic spinoff. In essence, these theoretical explanations lend multiple perspectives that offer a greater insight into the academic spinoff firm by illuminating the issues of its boundaries, entrepreneurs, resources, knowledge, and networks. It is concluded that understanding academic spinoffs requires acknowledging this theoretical plurality. In response to this challenge, the paper proposes the Academic Spinoff Theory of the Firm.

Board Composition and Corporate Performance: X-raying the Nexus in Nigerian Banks

We investigate the nexus between board composition and corporate performance of Nigerian banks listed on the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) from 2010 to 2019. The contextual board characteristics of empirical interest include board size, financial knowledge of board members, frequency of board meetings, gender diversity and board independence. Corporate performance is measured by return on equity (ROE) and earnings per share (EPS). Our findings lead to the predictions that board size, financial nous of board members, gender diversity and board independence are important board characteristics that catalyse corporate performance, although the evidence of gender diversity and board independence is limited. We find no robust relation between the frequency of board meetings and corporate performance. Our findings affirm the plurality of governance theories. Although board characteristics are in aggregate perceived to be a strong determinant of firm performance, however, their disaggregation depicts differential effects on the performance of Nigerian banks. The study contributes to (a) empirical validation of theoretical pluralism to gain more insights into the dimensions of corporate governance, and (b) greater understanding of the nexus between board composition and corporate performance through the lens of both financial and nonfinancial factors. The fact that some board characteristics exhibit no or partial relations with firm performance suggests further research in and regulatory attention to the relations between board structure and optimal size for efficient corporate performance.

The declining share of primary data and the neglect of the individual level in international business research

Complementing Nielsen and colleagues’ (2020) analysis of methodological trends in the Journal of International Business Studies over the past 50 years, we examine similar data on methods published in a wider range of leading international business (IB) journals. Our analysis shows a clear decline of studies based on primary data relative to secondary data, and a persistently low level of individual-level studies among the growing body of research using secondary data across all IB journals considered. We discuss the main mechanisms driving these trends and identify the problems of IB’s increasing exposure to the risks inherent in secondary data. We also discuss the implications related to neglecting individual-level data for theory advancement in IB, such as a disregard for novel secondary data opportunities at the individual level and the risk of reduced theoretical pluralism. In doing so, we substantially extend the debate initiated by Nielsen and colleagues (2020).