Are social sciences special? Historical and contemporary perspectives

Description

This conference is organised by the ‘Expertise Under Pressure‘ project at the University of Cambridge and the ‘Philosophy of Science and Epistemology‘ group at the University of Vienna. It is funded by the Humanities and Social Change International Foundation.

Convenors

• Anna Alexandrova (University of Cambridge)
• Martin Kusch (University of Vienna)

Overview

The status of social sciences vis-à-vis natural sciences and humanities is a long-standing controversy. From as early as 18th century and throughout 19th and 20th centuries, their supposed distinctiveness animated key debates about the goals and methods of political economy, sociology, anthropology, and eventually the study of politics. Philosophers too have long looked for the special features that all and only social sciences possess. Such an exceptionalism has at times been grounded in free will, interpretation over explanation, historicity over universality, interactive kinds, special connection to moral values and social movements, and so on. In opposition to exceptionalism, naturalists have sought to show that none of these are significant or unique and hence no distinctive logic for social sciences is necessary. It is hard to imagine these debates getting resolved but it is crucial to understand their function. This two-day conference traces the roots of exceptionalism and anti-exceptionalism in different national contexts and examines its role and appropriateness in the social sciences of today.

Speakers

• Gabriel Abend (University of Lucerne)
• Anna Alexandrova (University of Cambridge)
• Mark Bevir (University of California, Berkeley)
• Jason Blakely (University of Pepperdine)
• Federico Brandmayr (Yale University)
• Matei Candea (University of Cambridge)
• Uljana Feest (Leibniz University Hannover)
• Wolf Feuerhahn (The CNRS)
• Emily Hauptmann (Western Michigan University)
• Inkeri Koskinen (Tampere University)
• Martin Kusch (University of Vienna)
• Thomas Uebel (University of Manchester)

Registration

Registration is by invitation only. If you are interested in participating, please email Anna Alexandrova (aa686@cam.ac.uk) as soon as possible and by 10 June, indicating the reasons for your interest and whether you wish to attend in person or online.