This is an in-person event at King’s College London. To RSVP, obtain your complimentary ticket here.
About the talk:
Debates about social science often revolve around ontology and epistemology. That may be a mistake. Most social scientists share a broadly humanist view, certainly in their daily lives. What divides them is whether the quest for rigorous or relevant knowledge requires that we adopt a different standpoint as scholars. After sketching a humanist philosophy, I explore its implications for just these issues. First, it does not require us to reject any generally accepted method, but it does change the way we think about methods, encouraging us to learn from the humanities and to blur genres. Second, it reminds us of the ethical implications of the fact that we are studying human agents, not passive objects. Finally, it encourages us to adopt a more tentative, speculative, exploratory approach to our work – one that I suggest makes it more enjoyable.
Location:
Bush House Southeast Wing Room 2.12, King’s College London
About the Speaker:
Mark Bevir is a British philosopher of history. He is a professor of political science and the Director of the Center for British Studies at the University of California, Berkeley, where he currently teaches courses on political theory and philosophy, public policy and organisation, and methodology. He is also a Professor in the Graduate School of Governance, United Nations University and a Distinguished Research Professor in the College of Arts and Humanities, Swansea University.
