John Levi Martin On Theory

I've found the piece of occupation of John Levi Martin to hold upwards specially master copy when it comes to rethinking around of th...

I've found the piece of occupation of John Levi Martin to hold upwards specially master copy when it comes to rethinking around of the soil assumptions of sociological theory. (Here are a few before posts on his work; link, link. John also provided a invitee postal service here.) So I was pleased to have a re-create of his most recent book, Thinking Through Theory. The mass takes a fresh expect at the role of "theory" inwards the intellectual piece of occupation that sociologists do, too it provides valuable guidance to Ph.D. students inwards sociology every bit they laid about crafting their ain intellectual tools. Here is how he introduces his topic:

This mass is nearly the improvement of sociological theory. The focus hither is on skillful thinking. I'm non maxim that no 1 thinks good inwards our discipline, but nosotros oftentimes tin laissez passer on the axe practise better. Unfortunately, few theorists are explicitly concerned alongside the issues of how to avoid thinking inwards circles, how to know when nosotros are contradicting ourselves, how to avoid thinking tautologies are meaningful. (vii)

JLM's cardinal thought nearly the role of theory is what he calls "theory-work": attempts to "improve the precision, clarity, too coherence of our ideas" (10). Sometimes this agency working difficult to works life whether 2 sociological ideas are compatible. More generally, JLM recommends the difficult piece of occupation of teasing out the logical implications of the hypotheses too concepts that nosotros usage inwards attempting to brand feel of the social globe nosotros encounter. (He calls this piece of occupation "orthological", or "right-thinking".)

JLM doesn't laissez passer on this example, but it would seem that Mancur Olson's regain of the undermining logic of costless riding inside collective activity is an illustration of what he agency past times skillful theory work. In The Logic of Collective Action: Public Goods too the Theory of Groups) Olson worked out the implications of the 2 framing ideas -- self-interested decision-making too the fact of shared interests inside a group:

1. People human activity inwards their ain best interests.
2. People stimulate got shared interests.
3. Therefore people human activity out of regard for their shared interests.

Olson demonstrated that the typical circumstances of groups alongside shared interests atomic number 82 us from premise 1 to the negation of conclusion 3. Here Olson does precisely every bit JLM recommends; he works out the logic of collective activity through careful analysis of the premises too the situation.

I similar JLM's approach to the logic of theorizing inwards the social realm, but I regain that I occasionally accept outcome alongside specific claims he makes. For example, inwards a brief give-and-take of Diane Vaughan's handling of the Challenger infinite shuttle disaster inwards link).

I'm also unconvinced past times the categorical set JLM takes on "actors". "There are no collective-level actors" (38). JLM correctly observes that organizations stimulate got internal structure, too that the sub-units of the scheme contribute to the "decision" the scheme makes. But he is insistent that decisions too actions are e'er conducted past times individuals. I grip that at that topographic point are e'er microfoundations for an organization's actions at the score of diverse individuals inside the scheme (link, link) -- simply every bit at that topographic point are microfoundations at the score of the neuron for the calculations that the private considers. But neither prepare of microfoundations resolves the inquiry of where the score of agency lies. And it seems to me that at that topographic point are clear cases where an scheme functions commonly according to its ain procedures too arrives at a decision, too it is appropriate to attribute the agency to the scheme rather than the private who signed the finally document. Awarding tenure inside a academy is a skillful example. Decisions are made at a hit of levels, dependent to locally enforced procedures too criteria, too tenure is recommended. The fact that the provost is the terminal halt inwards the physical care for doesn't hateful that the activity belongs to her alone.

These are non inconsequential quibbles. Rather, they contribute to a recommendation to JLM, to hold upwards to a greater extent than receptive to an appropriately developed realism when it comes to mid-level social structures too actors. JLM is right inwards maxim that realists bespeak to hold upwards substantially to a greater extent than rigorous inwards theorizing the entities too forces that they purport to set at the meso (supra-individual) score (100). He is appropriately critical of around aspects of critical realism. But that doesn't hateful that realism is illusory. Hard piece of occupation is bespeak to exhibit how an organizational civilisation wields causal power, how a financial agency "decides" an involvement charge per unit of measurement policy, or how regulatory agencies are systematically subverted. And inwards my view, nosotros bespeak around novel theoretical tools to let us to larn far at a company actor-centered social realist response to these kinds of questions. But the questions themselves are legitimate too important.

This is a bold book. At bottom it is a telephone telephone for rethinking almost all of the theoretical concepts that nosotros usage inwards the social sciences -- norm, institution, rationality, actor. JLM wants sociology to inquiry its premises too expect differently at the domain of the social world. I grip alongside him that this rethinking is needed. There are quite a few disparate voices attempting to practise simply that -- Fligstein too McAdam, for example, too Crozier too Friedberg before them (link, link), inwards their innovative efforts at joining actors too structures. Thinking Through Theory is a worthy contribution to this effort.

(Here is 1 of my ain before efforts to human face the theme of theory inwards sociology; link. As noted inwards the post, Gabriel Abend has also done first-class piece of occupation inwards clarifying the several uses of "theory" inwards sociology; link.)