IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/sae/jothpo/v21y2009i1p97-112.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Making Making Social Science Matter Matter To Us

Author

Listed:
  • Robert Adcock

    (Department of Political Science, 2115 G St NW, Suite 440B, Washington DC 20052, adcockr@gwu.edu)

Abstract

This article pursues two line of inquiry in response to Bent Flyvbjerg's advocacy of a phronetic social science in Making Social Science Matter (2001). First, I explore how Flyvbjerg's manifesto relates to the approach employed in his earlier empirical work, Rationality & Power (1998). There are, I argue, notable disjunctions between the practice of Rationality & Power and the preaching of Making Social Science Matter. Second, I explicate and rework Flyvbjerg's contrast between epistemic and phronetic social science with an eye to its reception by a specific disciplinary audience: American political scientists. In doing so, I build on several contributions to Sanford Schram and Brian Caterino's edited volume Making Political Science Matter (2006). My aspiration is, however, rather different from that of the volume: I strive to make epistemic and phronetic into accessible categories of reformist reflection, not provocative banners under which to marshal revolutionary opposition to our disciplinary mainstream(s).

Suggested Citation

  • Robert Adcock, 2009. "Making Making Social Science Matter Matter To Us," Journal of Theoretical Politics, , vol. 21(1), pages 97-112, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:jothpo:v:21:y:2009:i:1:p:97-112
    DOI: 10.1177/0951629808097285
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0951629808097285
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1177/0951629808097285?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Wolin, Sheldon S., 1969. "Political Theory as a Vocation," American Political Science Review, Cambridge University Press, vol. 63(4), pages 1062-1082, December.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Avner De‐Shalit, 2004. "Political Philosophy and Empowering Citizens," Political Studies, Political Studies Association, vol. 52(4), pages 802-818, December.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:sae:jothpo:v:21:y:2009:i:1:p:97-112. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: SAGE Publications (email available below). General contact details of provider: .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.