What is Analytical Sociology? Strengths and weaknesses of a new sociological research program
Abstract
Abstract
In this article, several problems of Analytical Sociology (AS) – a new school of sociological thought – are discussed. A first contention of this article is that the critique of the covering-law model (i.e. the Hempel–Oppenheim scheme) submitted by proponents of AS is problematic. The rejection of rational choice theory in AS is criticized as well. It is argued that the alleged alternative general theory applied by proponents of AS, namely DBO theory (claiming that Desires, Beliefs and Opportunities determine behavior), is equivalent to a wide version of rational choice theory. Furthermore, the focus on theories of the middle range in AS and the neglect of general theories is considered problematic. Finally, it is argued that the goals of AS can better be achieved if it is supplemented by a research program of empirical theory comparison.
Résumé
L’article discute plusieurs problèmes que pose une nouvelle école de pensée sociologique, la sociologie analytique (Analytical Sociology – AS). Une première constatation est que la critique du modèle de Hempel–Oppenheim (‘covering law theory’) que font les défenseurs de l’AS est problématique. Le fait que ces derniers rejettent aussi la théorie du choix rationnel est également analysé et critiqué. L’auteur défend la thèse que la théorie générale alternative que proposent les défenseurs de l’AS, à savoir la théorie des DBO (qui affirme que ce sont les désirs, les croyances et les opportunités qui déterminent le comportement), est équivalente à une version large de la théorie du choix rationnel. De plus, le fait que l’AS mette l’accent sur des théories intermédiaires et néglige les théories générales est perçu comme problématique. Finalement, l’auteur défend la thèse que l’AS atteindrait mieux les buts qu’elle s’est fixée si elle était complétée par un programme de recherche visant une comparaison empirique des théories sociales.
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Biographies
Karl-Dieter Opp is Professor Emeritus at the University of Leipzig (Department of Sociology, Germany) and Affiliate Professor at the University of Washington (Department of Sociology, Seattle). His areas of interest include collective action, political participation and protest, rational choice theory, philosophy of the social sciences, and social norms and institutions. He is the author of The Rationality of Political Protest (1989) and co-author of The Origins of a Spontaneous Revolution (1995). He edited (with Michael Hechter) Social Norms (2001). His most recent English-language book is Theories of Political Protest and Social Movements: A multidisciplinary introduction, critique and synthesis (2009).
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Article first published online: August 5, 2013
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