Social Sciences and
the Methodology of the Organic Whole: Beyond the Dipole of Qualitative and
Quantitative Approaches
Dimitrios Patelis*
In: Pourkos M.A.,
Dafermos M.G. (ed.), (2010). Qualitative Research into Social Sciences: Epistemological, Methodological
and Ethical Issues. Athens: TOPOS, pp. 207-297.
ABSTRACT In my paper I examine
the Dialectical Methodology of the Organic Whole, the cognitive potency of
which (descriptive, explanational, theoretical,
probative, heuristic,
prognostic, etc.) has been proved in the social sciences (particularly in the
political economy and in the social theory). The development of scientific thought is examined as a process governed
by laws, historical moments of which are the Cognition Situations, which include a spectrum of possibilities (destructive tendencies, as well as the
perspective of creative development) as
a result of internal and external factors interaction. Internal factors are
described by: the structure, the character, the properties and the development
level of the object as a system or a totality; the theoretical and
methodological level of the already achieved scientific knowledge and the
theoretical and methodological level of the subject of the research activity.
External factors are combined to the contemporary historic and cultural
situations, social needs, interests etc. The Methodology of the Organic Whole provides a guideline beyond the
persistence of prejudices to qualitative or quantitative approaches, for
examining and studying phenomena as the unity of their qualitative and
quantitative aspects, for seeing the complex interconnections and interactions
of these aspects, and the changes in the relationships between them in the
various levels of their structure, development and cognitive level.
Key words: Philosophy, Philosophy of science, Method,
Methodology, Methodology of the organic all, Logic, Dialectical logic, V.A. Bazjulin,
Objective logic, Subjective logic, Cognitive process, Knowledge, Science,
Prescientific knowledge, Scientific knowledge, Conscience, Science as direct
productive force, Cognitive situation, Crisis cognitive situation, Objective
and subjective terms of Crisis cognitive situation situation,
Scientific revolution, Intellect, Reason, Ascent from abstract in concrete, Historical
and Logical, Part and all, Surface, Substance, Phenomenon, Reality, Discourse,
Description, Explanation, Scientific Prevision, Subject of research,
Constitution of a new subject of research, Object of research, Particularity
and the object level of development, Organic, Development stages of the organic all,
Extrapolation, Vested knowledge, Objectivity, Truth, Provability,
Plenitude, Adequacy of knowledge, Theoretical and methodological
vested, Discreteness and Continuity in the science development, Terms and
limits of validity and applicability of theory, Strategy and tactic of
research, Spectrum of Scientific Research Programs, Socio-economic,
institutional and cultural terms of research, Financing of research, Control of
research, Contradictions of cognitive process, Foundations of sciences,
Scientific picture of the world, Ideals, rules and claims of the scientific
community, Research problem, Crisis in science, Professorial “science”, Social
sciences, Empiricism, Operationalism,
Irrationalism, Reduction, Reductionism, Dialectical logic, Dialectics,
Spontaneous dialectics, Analytic method, Metaphysics, Interdisciplinary
Synthetic science, Conscious dialectics, Logical positivism, W. Quine, Postpositivism, T.S. Kuhn,
Paradigm, K. Popper, Evolutionary epistemology, I. Lakatos,
P. Feyerabend, Sociology of knowledge and science,
Post-modern, Quality, Quantity, Measure, Experience, Theory, Qualitative
Methods, Quantitative Methods, Mathematization,
Thought, Impulsivity, Feeling.