ABSTRACT
The notion of a theoretical synthesis is fundamental to this enquiry. It therefore needs clarification at the outset. For a term in such general philosophical use we would expect to find criteria by which to isolate, inspect and evaluate a synthesis. But is the synthesis as a theoretical construct such a distinctive entity? What is its epistemological and linguistic status? To answer such questions I do not intend to examine exhaustively the usage of the term in the history of philosophical discourse, though some aspects of its origin as philosophical currency are illuminating. My main intention is to analyse the concept and its theoretical implications. A preliminary question is whether we can distinguish a synthesis from a theory or theoretical framework. If we make a distinction between a theory and a synthesis, then a synthesis of separate theories cannot become a new theory; it will retain a distinctive character by definition. What, then, is a synthesis and why is it important as an object of study?
