ABSTRACT
Plumbing resources in the hermeneutical tradition, the previous chapter explored the plausibility of contextualized self-interpretations as a productive alternative to the causal law paradigm in the social sciences. Our conclusion was that while self-interpretations were an indispensable element of any social science explanans, the hermeneutical account was still found wanting on a number of counts. The general problem we address in this chapter can be expressed as a question. Is it possible to come up with a general account of the nature and scope of social science explanation, which is distinct from both positivist accounts that are modelled on the causal law paradigm in natural science, and hermeneutical accounts for which the self-interpretations and intentions of the subjects under study are conceded a foundational status?
