Ontic Webs: A New Framework for Public Sociology

Abstract What is the relationship between the descriptive and the normative? The usual answer, in the social sciences, is based on a sharp distinction between facts and values. This chapter reprises and radicalizes long-standing critiques of the fact/value distinction, proposes an alternative theory...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inReligion, Humility, and Democracy in a Divided America Vol. 36; pp. 151 - 168
Main Author Gorski, Philip S.
Format Book Chapter
LanguageEnglish
Published United Kingdom Emerald Publishing Limited 2019
Subjects
Sociology
critical realism
Fact/value distinction
public sociology
contact theory
moral attribution
social ontology
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Summary:Abstract What is the relationship between the descriptive and the normative? The usual answer, in the social sciences, is based on a sharp distinction between facts and values. This chapter reprises and radicalizes long-standing critiques of the fact/value distinction, proposes an alternative theory of ontic webs in its stead, and then uses it to delineate six different forms of public sociology. It argues that facts are value-laden and values fact-laden; that facts and values are entangled in webs of belief and practice; and that attributions of causation and moral responsibility are connected via ontological assumptions. Effective public sociology therefore requires a combination of ontological extension and moral translation.
ISBN:1789739500
9781789739503
ISSN:0198-8719
DOI:10.1108/S0198-871920190000036008