Metatheory Project

A metatheory is a highly generalized conception of the basic assumptions and approaches to understanding humanity. Epistemology is a branch of philosophy concerned with what can be known and how we can come to know them.

For this project, I would like you to explore your own epistemology and metatheory of social science and psychology. Using the following dimensions or issues, write a two-page paper summarizing your own ideas. Choose four controversies (lines with italic headings) to address. Use your accumulated knowledge and experience in psychology, your religious beliefs, and your philosophy of life. Please type the paper.

A metatheory may include:

1. The essential nature of human beings

dualism: are people merely natural products (animals) or do they possess something that transcends nature, such as a soul?
mind/body dualism: is mind a natural extension of the body, or is it somehow distinct or special?

free will/determinism

goodness: are humans essentially good, evil, both, neither?

progress: is humanity “progressing” in some manner, or recapitulating earlier forms in new ways?

human subjectivity: how is the apparent subjectivity (knowing self) to be accounted for?

2. The appropriate manner for studying humans and societies

natural science methods: can we extend the methods of natural science to the study of humans?

special methods for humans: must special methods be used to study humans that take into consideration other features of this list, such as free will?

positivism: can the study of humans reveal universal laws of causality?

cumulative knowledge base: in studying humans, can we expect to build a body of knowledge that is cumulative and develop theories that generally improve, or are we just going around in circles?

theoretical polytheism: can more than one high-level theory (e.g., behaviorism and cognitivism) be correct?

3. The relationship between people and society

volunteerism: are people free to create social institutions and economic systems as they prefer, that is, society is the collective creation of individuals, or...

social determinism: are people the end products of strong social forces that have a trajectory of their own, molding individuals to their needs or functions?

individualism/collectivism: are people basically individuals out for personal gain, constrained by the power of society, or are they basically social beings distracted by their personal needs?

4. The universality and historical stability of knowledge gained

relativism: are universal laws of human behavior that are valid across cultures, times, and genders impossible? Must all generalizations about humans be limited to times and places?

indigenous psychology: can their be one psychology that applies to all humans, or must their be different sciences of psychology for each culture?

5. The relationship of the scientist to the subject of study

values biases: are the values held by social scientists an impediment to their research, always biasing them in ways they may not be aware of? Do the value biases of the researcher make scientific psychology impossible?

6. The political relevance and uses of the knowledge gained

science and ideology: is social science an ideology reflecting or imposed by a particular social class or culture? Are the findings of social science and psychology used to maintain the privilege of any group of people?

practical applications: can scientific psychology be used to understand and solve real-world social issues and problems?

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