The Extent to which Analysis of Social Phenomena is Compatible with the Scientific Method is a Hotly Contested Question.

Reading Passage Question

The extent to which analysis of social phenomena is compatible with the scientific method is a hotly contested question. Among international relations scholars, historico-deductivist opponents of positivism claim that in the pursuit of objective depictions of the causes, course, and consequences of international phenomena the character and operation of which are purported to exist independently of the observer, positivists miss or dismiss the implicit attitudes, values, and ideologies embedded in their work, which personalize and subjectivize their conclusions. Positivism, these critics contend, attempts to impose on world politics a coherent facticity akin to that of the natural sciences, but to which the basic nature of world politics is indisposed.

For historico-deductivist, the problem of a posteriori overdetermination is a case in point. In the natural sciences, replicability and verifiability afford the findings of laboratory experimentation potentially nomothetic status. In international relations, however, such law-like generalizations about cause and effect are rarely if ever possible, not only because events are unique, but also because of the multiplicity of potential causes. Whether World War I resulted from disequilibrium in the international distribution of power, the ascendancy of government factions committed to aggression, or the accuracy of an assassin‘s bullet, is, ultimately, unknown. For opponents of positivism, it is better to recognize darkness than to pretend to see light.

While some leading positivists, most notably Pastore, admit as ―knowledge‖ only the sum of all tested propositions, for most it is the very cloudlike nature of political phenomena that requires a clocklike approach. Conceding that their subject does not permit nomothetic propositions, the majority of positivists appear committed to Williams‘ more moderate rule: ―The propensity to error should make us cautious, but not so desperate that we fear to come as close as possible to apodictic findings. We needn‘t grasp at the torch with eyes closed, fearing to be blinded.‖

Positivists point to the potential of scientific analysis to yield counterintuitive truths. A frequently cited example is Grotsky‘s study of the role of non-state actors in international trade. Published at a time when many scholars were convinced that multinational organizations had effectively ―elbowed the traditional sovereign nation-state…out of analytical existence in our field,‖ Grotsky‘s research of the structure, timing, and variance of state expenditures on foreign direct investment effectively restored the state to its position as the dominant unit in international relations scholarship. Despite several efforts, historico-deductivist who had championed the new relevance of non-state actors have not, as yet, successfully refuted Grotsky‘s findings—a consideration that bodes well for those of us who believe that an end to this long standing debate, which has produced much timely and relevant research, is not necessarily to be desired.

In addition to claiming that critics have mischaracterized their methodological commitments, positivists also contend that the historico-deductivist approach is subject to many of the same criticisms leveled against positivism. For example, on the twentieth anniversary of her seminal article depicting the Peloponnesian War as the archetypal case of power politics in action, Nash, perhaps the exemplar of the historico deductivist school, revisited her earlier findings, only to conclude that the interaction between the Athenians and Spartans included significant instances of cooperation and reciprocity. Even as Nash‘s confederates praised the ―illuminating evolution‖ in her thinking, many positivists questioned whether Nash‘s antipodal findings corresponded to a shift in her initial assumptions over time. The implication, of course, is that if positivists‘ commitments at the level of proto-theory color their eventual conclusions, then they are not alone in this regard.

“The Extent to which Analysis of Social Phenomena is Compatible with the Scientific Method is a Hotly Contested Question.”- is a GMAT reading comprehension passage with answers. Candidates need a strong knowledge of English GMAT reading comprehension.
This GMAT Reading Comprehension consists of 7 comprehension questions. The GMAT Reading Comprehension questions are designed for testing candidates’ abilities in understanding, analyzing, and applying information or concepts. Candidates can actively prepare with the help of GMAT Reading Comprehension Practice Questions.

Solution and Explanation

1. According to information given by the author in the passage, which of the following is true of a posteriori overdetermination?

1. It presents a challenge to scholars‘ ability to produce nomothetic statements about world politics.
2. It exemplifies the analytical confusion created by unique events that often have multiple effects.
3. It suggests that historico-deductivism is better suited than positivism to the study of international relations.

1. I only
2. III only
3. I and II only
4. II and III only
5. I, II and III

2. As used in the passage by Williams at the end of the third paragraph in the statement,, ―We needn‘t grasp at the torch with eyes closed, fearing to be blinded,‖ the word ―torch‖ refers to:

1. propensity to error.
2. nomothetic propositions.
3. political phenomena.
4. methodological commitments.
5. myths and superstitions

3. It can reasonably be inferred that the author of the passage is a:

1. professor of history.
2. professor of international relations.
3. diplomat.
4. journalist.
5. politician

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