ABSTRACT
Based on the introduction to hermeneutic concepts in the previous chapter, this chapter moves on to discuss the methodological implications of the double hermeneutic. This chapter initially reiterates the case against scientism as an approach to the social world. To this end, it discusses the role of causality and constitution in research about the social world, as opposed to nature. As it turns out, there are good reasons to question the strict separation of causal and constitutive explanations. As a result of this insight, the chapter introduces the concept of topos as a methodological tool for research in global politics. The chapter continues by discussing validity criteria for abductively deriving topoi from a range of empirical data. It closes by explaining how topoi are established in the research process.
