tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4058766287077382431.post8369922743559559968..comments2024-03-23T04:01:39.348-04:00Comments on Understanding Society: "Theory" in sociologyDan Littlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15953897221283103880noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4058766287077382431.post-81478358186326816232012-09-04T13:19:05.653-04:002012-09-04T13:19:05.653-04:00Denying the fuzziness doesn't make it go away....Denying the fuzziness doesn't make it go away. The way to remove fuzziness is to carefully demine one's meaning when using an ambiguous term like "theory" and take care to remain within the boundaries that one has set. This is not a simple task for most authors, even highly proficient technical ones. It takes a lot of focus not to allow the meaning of one's terminology to wander when the term is ambiguous, i.e., plays a somewhat different role in different contexts. Sharp critics will catch this.Tom Hickeyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08454222098667643650noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4058766287077382431.post-17325839612168107682012-09-04T11:58:36.456-04:002012-09-04T11:58:36.456-04:00On page 188 of his article Gabriel Abend explains ...On page 188 of his article Gabriel Abend explains why Wittgenstein's notions of "family resemblance" discusses why this is not helpful, as it only "perpetuates the fuziness around the use of 'theory'", the very wrong Abend is trying to right.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4058766287077382431.post-87882426397916559272010-02-12T00:16:03.471-05:002010-02-12T00:16:03.471-05:00As an analyst in the tradition of Ludwig Wittgenst...As an analyst in the tradition of Ludwig Wittgenstein might say, the meaning of a term is shown by its use in various contexts. These uses are often overlapping and interwoven, so they might be conceived as "family resemblances" in a family of language-games that employ the term "theory."Tom Hickeyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08454222098667643650noreply@blogger.com