ABSTRACT
Theinterpretiveparadigmembracesawiderangeofphilosophical andsociologicalthoughtwhichsharesthecommoncharacteristic ofattemptingtounderstandandexplainthesocialworldprimarily fromthepointofviewoftheactorsdirectlyinvolvedinthesocial process.ItshistoryisfirmlyrootedintheGermanidealisttradition,andintheviewthattheultimaterealityoftheuniverseliesin •spirit'or•idea'ratherthaninthedataofsenseperception.This tradition,whichrunscountertothatofsociologicalpositivism, owesmuchtotheworkofImmanuelKant(1724-1803),whowas oneofthefirstphilosopherstoarticulateitsbasicontologicaland epistemologicalfoundations.Kant,whosephilosophyisopentoa widerangeofinterpretations,positedthataprioriknowledgemust precedeanygrasporunderstandingofthesensedataofempirical experience.Hearguedthattheremustbeinherent,in-born organisingprincipleswithinman'sconsciousnessbywhichany andallsensedataisstructured,arrangedandthusunderstood.A prioriknowledgewasseenasindependentofanyexternalreality andthesensedatawhichit·emits';itwasseenastheproductof ·mind'andtheinterpretiveprocesseswhichgoonwithinit.Whilst theworldinwhichmenlivemaybetheproductofacomplex interrelationshipbetweenaprioriknowledgeandempiricalreality, forKantthestartingpointforunderstandingthislayintherealmof •mind'and'intuition'.Itisthisbasic,uncomplicatedassumption whichunderliesthewholeofGermanidealism.
