ABSTRACT

Normativity and Naturalism in the Social Sciences engages with a central debate within the philosophy of social science: whether social scientific explanation necessitates an appeal to norms, and if so, whether appeals to normativity can be rendered "scientific." This collection brings together contributions from a diverse group of philosophers who explore a broad but thematically unified set of questions, many of which stem from an ongoing debate between Stephen Turner and Joseph Rouse (both contributors to this volume) on the role of naturalism in the philosophy of the social sciences. Informed by recent developments in both philosophy and the social sciences, this volume will set the benchmark for contemporary discussions about normativity and naturalism. This collection will be relevant to philosophers of social science, philosophers in interested in the rule following and metaphysics of normativity, and theoretically oriented social scientists.

chapter 1|8 pages

Introduction

chapter 3|15 pages

Toward a New Naturalism

Niche Construction, Conceptual Normativity, and Scientific Practice

chapter 4|17 pages

What Would It Be to Be a Norm?

chapter 5|18 pages

Social Normativism

chapter 9|17 pages

Responsiveness to Norms

chapter 15|22 pages

Trust, Norms, and Reason