Philosophy Stack Exchange
Philosophy Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [sociology]

120 questions
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Can we tell whether human groups or societies are behaving as superorganisms?

An anthill can be described as a superorganism, with behaviours and interactions much more complex than those of an individual ant. We could find analogies between the superorganism and other living organisms, as memory for instance. Chemicals that…
rraallvv
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If everything is theory laden, how can one argue against climate change deniers?

Per Quine's results from "Two Dogmas of Empiricism", the Duhem-Quine thesis, and later results such as those of Kuhn and Feyerabend, all empirical observations are theory laden. Even widely accepted facts such as the Earth is round or the Earth…
Alexander S King
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What is the practical usefulness of post-modernist sociology à la Foucault, e.g. of the insight that "insanity is merely a label applied by society"?

Foucault says what constitutes insanity is a label determined by society. Whether someone is sane or insane is not a clear, objective fact. I do not disagree. He says this labelling can be dangerous. At first glance, this all seems evident but…
Cerberus
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Is there a modern, secular argument for the soul?

In modern times it is common to think the soul is a religious belief. Even though the original arguments for the soul were not religious (e.g. Plato and Aristotle, and more recently Descartes, Leibniz, and even more recently Thomas Nagel), we still…
yters
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What makes moral realism so popular a standpoint?

According to wikipedia page on moral realism: A survey from 2009 involving 3,226 respondents found that 56% of philosophers accept or lean towards moral realism (28%: anti-realism; 16%: other). According to it the second most popular standpoint…
rus9384
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Which if any contemporary philosophers have written about the potential negative effects of "reverse" discrimination?

In many cases when I talk about how I think, I find it useful to abstract the messy real sources of inspiration into a pure dialogue with my friend Matt. In this case, Matt and I were talking about entrance requirements into college and the practice…
davidlowryduda
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Has anyone suggested a modern substitute for mythology?

Several authors have mentioned that mythology play a central role in human societies, satisfying various social and psychological needs and giving meaning and a spiritual dimension to people's lives. (See for example Karen Armstrong, Joseph…
Alexander S King
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What is the difference between Functionalism and Structural-Functionalism?

I don't know if I should ask this here because the question is more like a sociology one. Anyway, I will give it a try, since most of the sociologists are also philosophers, so maybe I'll be lucky finding an answer. I am preparing for an exam, and I…
sfrj
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Gender roles - do they matter?

This may well be too broad (spreading over into psychology too), I'll try to narrow it down as I outline my thinking but any advice is welcome. I began by thinking about how its unfair if you identify as one gender and are treated as another. So…
FreeElk
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Can you explain clearly the difference between race and ethnicity?

I have tried to look it up but most definitions usually don't make the difference crystal-clear. Many results on Google give overlapping definitions. What my understanding is is that race is rooted in distinct biological traits while ethnicity is…
chanzerre
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Can religion be considered obsolete?

Can religion be considered obsolete and in practice an obstacle to the rise of science and reason? I think that religion is the outdated mode of existence, governance, and education of social organization. I regard secularization, a very important…
John Am
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What are "entanglements" in "feminist philosophy"?

I saw this: http://www.hastac.org/blogs/ari-schlesinger/2013/11/26/feminism-and-programming-languages As someone who likes computer programming, I am intrigued by new ideas for computer programming languages. This claim seem to go with an idea to…
The_Sympathizer
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Reading material about gender studies/feminism

I took a gender studies course in undergrad, and it left me with a bad taste in my mouth about the whole topic. Maybe it was because I was older than many of the other students, or because the instructor was poor, but the discussions we had and our…
Eric Auld
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Weber and Marx - Modern Culture and Dominant Culture

Not sure if this is the right forum, but this seems to be the best fit. IF there is a better forum, please direct me. Marx and Weber are both concerned with the role of "culture" or "idea/ideology" on the material world. Obviously, Weber placing a…
Bob the Builds
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Is science a social process, rather than a method for finding the truth?

I have encountered an argument that I find interesting, but cannot understand the principles behind. It is simply as the title states: Science is not a method for finding the truth, it is a method for making other scientists accept that you have…
shieldfoss
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