Explaining Agrarian Change

利特尔博士正在进行一项关于社会科学哲学的研究，该研究围绕着最近在实证农业研究中的四个争议展开。他的研究旨在对社会科学哲学中与当前社会科学实践具体相关的主题进行阐述和分析。本调查分析了这四场辩论中主要的理论和方法争议，并试图确定这些理论如何阐明科学哲学中的问题。这项研究的主要目的是为了比今天的科学哲学文献更详细、更准确地描述社会科学的逻辑和多样性。本研究将对社会科学哲学中的传统问题提供新的认识，并为该领域的进一步研究提出新的问题。这项研究的第二个目标是对正在审查的具体领域进行的辩论作出实质性贡献。科学哲学其他领域的经验表明，对当前实证研究的哲学检查对于实践科学家在澄清概念难题、分析解释和确认逻辑中的问题等方面具有重大益处。利特尔博士正在研究的农业研究领域的许多问题都跨越了学科界限，涉及理性、社区或道德价值观等抽象的哲学概念。在经验文献的背景下，哲学家对这些问题的处理应该引起实践者自己的兴趣。因此，从这个项目中产生的研究有望引起哲学家和社会科学家的极大兴趣。

Dr. Little is undertaking an examination in the philosophy of the social sciences organized around four recent controversies in empirical agrarian studies. His study is designed to permit the formulation and analysis of topics in the philosophy of social science that are concretely related to the current practice of social science. This investigation analyzes the main theoretical and methodological controversies in these four debates and attempts to determine how these theories illuminate issues in the philosophy of science. The primary aim of this investigation is to arrive at a more detailed and accurate representation of the logic and diversity of social science than is available in the philosophy of science literature today. This study will shed new light on traditional problems in the philosophy of social science, and it will suggest new problems for further research within this area. A second goal of this research is to contribute substantively to ongoing debates in the concrete areas under scrutiny. Experience in other areas of the philosophy of science shows that philosophical examination of current empirical research can be of significant benefit to the practicing scientist in clarifying conceptual puzzles, analyzing issues in the logic of explanation and confirmation, and the like. Many of the issues in the area of agrarian studies which Dr. Little is examining are ones that cut across disciplinary boundaries and involve abstract philosophical concepts like rationality, community, or moral values. A philosopher's treatment of these issues in their context in the empirical literature should be of interest to the practitioners themselves. Thus the research produced from this project promise to be of great interest to both philosophers and social scientists.