Chaos of Disciplines by Andrew Abbott (English) Paperback Book

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This work presents analysis of the evolution and development of the social sciences. It reconsiders how knowledge actually changes and advances. Challenging the accepted belief that social sciences are in a perpetual state of progress, this work contends that there is a core set of principles.

FORMATPaperback LANGUAGEEnglish CONDITIONBrand New Publisher Description

In this vital new study, Andrew Abbott presents a fresh and daring analysis of the evolution and development of the social sciences. Chaos of Disciplines reconsiders how knowledge actually changes and advances. Challenging the accepted belief that social sciences are in a perpetual state of progress, Abbott contends that disciplines instead cycle around an inevitable pattern of core principles. New schools of thought, then, are less a reaction to an established order than they are a reinvention of fundamental concepts. Chaos of Disciplines uses fractals to explain the patterns of disciplines, and then applies them to key debates that surround the social sciences. Abbott argues that knowledge in different disciplines is organized by common oppositions that function at any level of theoretical or methodological scale. Opposing perspectives of thought and method, then, in fields ranging from history, sociology, and literature, are to the contrary, radically similar; much like fractals, they are each mutual reflections of their own distinctions.

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In this vital new study, Andrew Abbott presents a fresh and daring analysis of the evolution and development of the social sciences. Chaos of Disciplines reconsiders how knowledge actually changes and advances. Challenging the accepted belief that social sciences are in a perpetual state of progress, Abbott contends that disciplines instead cycle around an inevitable pattern of core principles. New schools of thought, then, are less a reaction to an established order than they are a reinvention of fundamental concepts. Chaos of Disciplines uses fractals to explain the patterns of disciplines, and then applies them to key debates that surround the social sciences. Abbott argues that knowledge in different disciplines is organized by common oppositions that function at any level of theoretical or methodological scale. Opposing perspectives of thought and method, then, in fields ranging from history, sociology, and literature, are to the contrary, radically similar; much like fractals, they are each mutual reflections of their own distinctions. Abbott extends this concept to social structure and moral action in the book's closing chapters. He demonstrates how self-similar social structures arise, considers their implications for individual experience and solidarity, and then shows how self-similarity makes sense of the debate over politicization in academia; ultimately, Chaos of Disciplines contends that the political wars in the humanities and social sciences involve far less disagreement than we think.

Author Biography

Andrew Abbott is the Ralph Lewis Professor of Sociology at the University of Chicago. He is author of Department and Discipline and The System of Professions.

Table of Contents

Part 1 Self-Similarity in Social Science 1 The Chaos of Disciplines 2 The Duality of Stress 3 The Fraction of Construction Appendix: A History of "Social Construction" to 1990 4 The Unity of History 5 The Context of Disciplines Part 2 Two Essays on Self-Similarity 6 Self-Similar Social Structures Appendix: Fractal Scales 7 The Selfishness of Men

Details ISBN0226001016 Author Andrew Abbott Pages 248 Language English ISBN-10 0226001016 ISBN-13 9780226001012 Media Book Format Paperback Illustrations Yes Year 2001 Imprint University of Chicago Press Place of Publication Chicago, IL Country of Publication United States Short Title CHAOS OF DISCIPLINES Residence US Edition New edition DOI 10.1604/9780226001012 UK Release Date 2001-02-15 AU Release Date 2001-02-15 NZ Release Date 2001-02-15 US Release Date 2001-02-15 Publisher The University of Chicago Press Publication Date 2001-02-15 DEWEY 301 Audience Undergraduate We've got this

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