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Forms of Explanation: Rethinking the Questions in Social Theory
by Alan Garfinkel
Product Group: Book
Publisher: Yale University Press (1990-07-25)
ISBN: 0300049021
EAN: 9780300049022
Dewy Decimal #: 300
Paperback: 197 pages
SKU: 00-LFXN-0FEO
Condition: Acceptable
Comments: Shows signs of wear. Has extensive underling. Nice neat underling though.
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Editorial Reviews
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Product Description
"What makes one explanation better than another? How can we tell when an explanation has really answered our question? In a lively and readable discussion, Garfinkel argues that the key to understanding an explanation is to discover what question is really being answered. He then suggests criteria for a good explanation and goes on to examine some classic explanations in social and natural science."
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Customer Reviews
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ten, twenty, fifty stars
Rating  (5)
Date: 2004-03-11
4 out of 4 customers found this reveiw helpful
It is an unimaginable scandal that this book has fallen out-of-print. The fact that Garfinkel never wrote another one doesn't add to the possibility of it coming back into print either. Who's heard of him? I certainly hadn't, and if it wasn't for the sheer chance of my running into a discussion of this book in Delanda's Intensive Science and Virtual Philosophy and Elliott Sober's From a Biological Point of View, I never would have heard of it.
Garfinkel is a strange and original monster. A social scientist with a strong philosophical and scientific background--I believe he is now entirely dedicated to studies in complexity theory in relation to the heart---he approaches each of the fascinating topics he presents in one of the most creative and novel ways I've ever come across. He brings to the table the questions of "contrast spaces" and "relevance" and develops an ingenious method for analyzing problems, how and where to look for solutions, what forms explanations should take, and so on. This method is demonstrated with uncommon wit and lucidity, across questions of ethics, science, social and economic issues, and ultimately questions of truth. No one need be afraid of the contents, for Garfinkel is about as good a writer as anyone could hope for; and the book is short; and after finishing it, you don't feel mystified but rather sort of pregnant with thought not present before.
Of course, the contents require more explication than I've given to be really evident to any prospective readers, and for that sort of detail you should check out Delanda and Sober's aforementioned books, which are readily available.
But, on the strength of my word, whatever that's worth, I swear you will love this book, even if you disagree with everything in it. Fascinating, brilliant, and shamefully ignored.
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Oddly Compelling read for a textbook
Rating (5)
Date: 2003-01-03
2 out of 2 customers found this reveiw helpful
Cutting edge philosophy that reads like a thriller! Can't put it down!
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