MAKING SOCIAL SCIENCE MATTER

This is a multi-part message in MIME format.

------=_NextPart_000_0167_01C0D710.274202E0
Content-Type: text/plain
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

Dear colleagues,=20
With this note I would like to let you know that my new book MAKING =
SOCIAL SCIENCE MATTER: WHY SOCIAL INQUIRY FAILS AND HOW IT CAN SUCCEED =
AGAIN has just been published by Cambridge University Press.=20

MAKING SOCIAL SCIENCE MATTER is a study in the philosophy of social =
science. The book compares social and natural science and demonstrates =
why economics and other social sciences will probably never be able to =
explain and predict the way the natural sciences do. The book explicates =
the importance of context, judgment, and power to social science. =
Aristotle, Machiavelli, Nietzsche, Habermas, and Foucault are major =
theoretical influences.=20

I include the following for your information:=20

- The Table of Contents=20
- The book's back cover text.=20

I hope this is useful. Please feel free to forward this message to any =
relevant person or listserv.=20

If this mail is of no interest to you, I am sorry and apologize for the =
inconvenience. Also apologies for any cross posting.=20

Best wishes,=20

Bent Flyvbjerg, Professor=20
Aalborg University, Dept. of Development and Planning=20
9220 Aalborg, Denmark=20
email: flyvbjerg@xxxxxxxxx=20
=20

CONTENTS: MAKING SOCIAL SCIENCE MATTER=20
Acknowledgments=20
1. The Science Wars: A Way Out=20
PART ONE: WHY SOCIAL SCIENCE HAS FAILED AS SCIENCE=20
2. Rationality, Body, and Intuition in Human Learning=20
3. Is Theory Possible in Social Science?=20
4. Context Counts=20
PART TWO: HOW SOCIAL SCIENCE CAN MATTER AGAIN=20
5. Values in Social and Political Inquiry=20
6. The Power of Example=20
7. The Significance of Conflict and Power to Social Science=20
8. Empowering Aristotle=20
9. Methodological Guidelines for a Reformed Social Science=20
10. Examples and Illustrations: Narratives of Value and Power=20
11. Social Science That Matters=20
Notes=20
Index=20
=20

FROM THE BACK COVER OF MAKING SOCIAL SCIENCE MATTER=20
MAKING SOCIAL SCIENCE MATTER presents an exciting new approach to the =
social and behavioral sciences. Instead of trying to emulate the natural =
sciences and create a kind of general theory, Bent Flyvbjerg argues that =
the strength of the social sciences lies in their rich, reflexive =
analysis of values and power--so essential to the social and economic =
development of society. Moving beyond the purely analytic or technical, =
Flyvbjerg compares the theoretical study of human activity with =
real-world situations and demonstrates how the social sciences can =
become relevant again in the modern world. Powerfully argued, with clear =
methodological guidelines and practical examples, MAKING SOCIAL SCIENCE =
MATTER opens up a new future for the social sciences, freed from an =
inappropriate and misleading comparison with the natural sciences. Its =
empowering message will make it required reading for students and =
academics across the social and behavioral sciences.=20

PIERRE BOURDIEU, COLLEGE DE FRANCE: "This is social science that =
matters."=20

ROBERT N. BELLAH, UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA AT BERKELEY: "This is a book =
I have been waiting for for a long time. It opens up entirely new =
perspectives for social science by showing us that abandoning the =
aspiration to be like natural science is the beginning of wisdom about =
what we can and ought to be doing instead. It is a landmark book that =
deserves the widest possible reading and discussion."=20

ED SOJA, SCHOOL OF PUBLIC POLICY AND SOCIAL RESEARCH, UCLA: "This =
brilliant contextualization of social inquiry, hinging on both Aristotle =
and Foucault, gives new meaning to the concept of praxis. It will be of =
interest to everyone concerned with making democracy work."=20

STEVEN LUKES, NEW YORK UNIVERSITY: "Flyvbjerg, author of RATIONALITY AND =
POWER: DEMOCRACY IN PRACTICE, an innovative, fine-grained and =
civically-engaged study of local power in Denmark, here reflects, in =
accessible and pleasurable prose, on large, challenging questions: What, =
fundamentally, makes social science different from natural science? Why =
is it relatively so poor in producing cumulative and predictive =
theories? What kinds of knowledge should it seek and with what methods? =
His answers, drawing on Nietzsche, Foucault, Bourdieu and others, are =
worth the close attention of those predisposed to reject them out of =
hand."=20

There's more information about the book at www.us.cambridge.org and =
www.uk.cambridge.org.=20


------=_NextPart_000_0167_01C0D710.274202E0
Content-Type: text/html
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN">
<HTML><HEAD>
<META content=3D"text/html; charset=3Dwindows-1252" =
http-equiv=3DContent-Type>
<META content=3D"MSHTML 5.00.2314.1000" name=3DGENERATOR></HEAD>
<BODY>Dear colleagues,=20
<P>With this note I would like to let you know that my new book MAKING =
SOCIAL=20
SCIENCE MATTER: WHY SOCIAL INQUIRY FAILS AND HOW IT CAN SUCCEED AGAIN =
has just=20
been published by Cambridge University Press.=20
<P>MAKING SOCIAL SCIENCE MATTER is a study in the philosophy of social =
science.=20
The book compares social and natural science and demonstrates why =
economics and=20
other social sciences will probably never be able to explain and predict =
the way=20
the natural sciences do. The book explicates the importance of context,=20
judgment, and power to social science. Aristotle, Machiavelli, =
Nietzsche,=20
Habermas, and Foucault are major theoretical influences.=20
<P>I include the following for your information:=20
<P>- The Table of Contents <BR>- The book's back cover text.=20
<P>I hope this is useful. Please feel free to forward this message to =
any=20
relevant person or listserv.=20
<P>If this mail is of no interest to you, I am sorry and apologize for =
the=20
inconvenience. Also apologies for any cross posting.=20
<P>Best wishes,=20
<P>Bent Flyvbjerg, Professor <BR>Aalborg University, Dept. of =
Development and=20
Planning <BR>9220 Aalborg, Denmark <BR>email: <A=20
href=3D"mailto:flyvbjerg@xxxxxxxxx";>flyvbjerg@xxxxxxxxx</A> <BR>&nbsp;=20
<P><B>CONTENTS: <I>MAKING SOCIAL SCIENCE MATTER</I></B> =
<BR>Acknowledgments=20
<BR>1.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The Science Wars: A Way Out <BR>PART ONE: =
WHY=20
SOCIAL SCIENCE HAS FAILED AS SCIENCE <BR>2.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; =
Rationality,=20
Body, and Intuition in Human Learning <BR>3.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Is =
Theory=20
Possible in Social Science? <BR>4.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Context =
Counts=20
<BR>PART TWO: HOW SOCIAL SCIENCE CAN MATTER AGAIN =
<BR>5.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;=20
Values in Social and Political Inquiry <BR>6.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; =
The Power=20
of Example <BR>7.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The Significance of Conflict =
and Power=20
to Social Science <BR>8.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Empowering Aristotle=20
<BR>9.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Methodological Guidelines for a Reformed =
Social=20
Science <BR>10.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Examples and Illustrations: Narratives =
of=20
Value and Power <BR>11.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Social Science That Matters =
<BR>Notes=20
<BR>Index <BR>&nbsp;=20
<P><B>FROM THE BACK COVER OF <I>MAKING SOCIAL SCIENCE MATTER</I></B> =
<BR>MAKING=20
SOCIAL SCIENCE MATTER presents an exciting new approach to the social =
and=20
behavioral sciences. Instead of trying to emulate the natural sciences =
and=20
create a kind of general theory, Bent Flyvbjerg argues that the strength =
of the=20
social sciences lies in their rich, reflexive analysis of values and =
power--so=20
essential to the social and economic development of society. Moving =
beyond the=20
purely analytic or technical, Flyvbjerg compares the theoretical study =
of human=20
activity with real-world situations and demonstrates how the social =
sciences can=20
become relevant again in the modern world. Powerfully argued, with clear =

methodological guidelines and practical examples, MAKING SOCIAL SCIENCE =
MATTER=20
opens up a new future for the social sciences, freed from an =
inappropriate and=20
misleading comparison with the natural sciences. Its empowering message =
will=20
make it required reading for students and academics across the social =
and=20
behavioral sciences.=20
<P><B>PIERRE BOURDIEU, COLLEGE DE FRANCE</B>: "This is social science =
that=20
matters."=20
<P><B>ROBERT N. BELLAH, UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA AT BERKELEY</B>: "This =
is a=20
book I have been waiting for for a long time.&nbsp; It opens up entirely =
new=20
perspectives for social science by showing us that abandoning the =
aspiration to=20
be like natural science is the beginning of wisdom about what we can and =
ought=20
to be doing instead. It is a landmark book that deserves the widest =
possible=20
reading and discussion."=20
<P><B>ED SOJA, SCHOOL OF PUBLIC POLICY AND SOCIAL RESEARCH, UCLA</B>: =
"This=20
brilliant contextualization of social inquiry, hinging on both Aristotle =
and=20
Foucault, gives new meaning to the concept of praxis. It will be of =
interest to=20
everyone concerned with making democracy work."=20
<P><B>STEVEN LUKES, NEW YORK UNIVERSITY</B>: "Flyvbjerg, author of =
RATIONALITY=20
AND POWER: DEMOCRACY IN PRACTICE, an innovative, fine-grained and=20
civically-engaged study of local power in Denmark, here reflects, in =
accessible=20
and pleasurable prose, on large, challenging questions: What, =
fundamentally,=20
makes social science different from natural science? Why is it =
relatively so=20
poor in producing cumulative and predictive theories? What kinds of =
knowledge=20
should it seek and with what methods? His answers, drawing on Nietzsche, =

Foucault, Bourdieu and others, are worth the close attention of those=20
predisposed to reject them out of hand."=20
<P>There's more information about the book at <A=20
href=3D"http://www.us.cambridge.org";>www.us.cambridge.org</A> and <A=20
href=3D"http://www.uk.cambridge.org";>www.uk.cambridge.org</A>. =
</P></BODY></HTML>

------=_NextPart_000_0167_01C0D710.274202E0--


Partial thread listing: