In praise of conjunctive (if thats the word) - TopicsExpress



          

In praise of conjunctive (if thats the word) associations. Economists and others who call themselves social scientists (I prefer social studies to social science) are preoccupied with causality which they believe is the hallmark of science. I understand that correlation is not causality is an important dictum. But a relationship or pattern that isnt mere happenstance a coincidence doesnt have to be causal. Important physical laws have causal implications but not one-sided causality. According to Boyles law for instance the pressure of a gas decreases as the volume of a gas increases. Thus you can decrease pressure by increasing volume or by increasing pressure, you can reduce volume. So why not elevate conjunctions or reflexive relationships or things which go hand-in-hand when one-sided causality cannot be established (but mere coincidence can be ruled out close) in social studies as well?
Posted on: Sat, 02 Aug 2014 15:10:47 +0000

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