Jul 2026· Philosophy & Social Criticism· 0 citations· 28 references
Abstract
Big data and empirical social science share an often-subterraneous assumption, namely, positivism. Some of their jointly hidden premises are that experiences, preferences, and culture are all equally quantifiable, testable, and measurable. Further, their view is a reification of the status quo, a harmonistic view of society. On the other hand, the critical view espouses
social antagonism
, the view that society essentially consists of a struggle between groups. Critical theory argues against the critical rationalists that positivism (and thus, empirical social science) is guilty of a political agnosticism and, therefore, services the ends of bureaucracy and administration. This paper draws out some latent beliefs of big data as a new version of positivism and shows that big data inherits the problems of empirical social science. In particular, algorithms and data analytics for predictive policing, aggressively personalized advertisement, and prison recidivism stand out as substantial evidence of the new positivism that surges in administered society.
Contemporary critical theory elevates social norms to the status of positive knowledge and proclaims a politics of normative rightness to realise positive freedom and material equality in capitalist society. By accepting the positivity of norms, it fetishises them and prevents their denunciation, which alone exposes th...
Based on the theories of Émile Durkheim and Karl Marx, a sociological comparison of these two theories is presented, specifically looking into the theories of power, social order and inequality of both. The study uses a qualitative interpretive analysis of primary and secondary sources to explore how the two thinkers,...
Anita Rai· International Journal For Mu...· 0 citations
In the face of the major human challenges of our time—climate change, violence, extreme poverty, inequality, and a shared global crisis—it is necessary to reassess the political, ethical, and epistemic virtues of cooperation. The aim of this article is to explore the foundations in political philosophy that underpin hu...
Rodolfo García Galván· Revista Mexicana de Ciencias...· 0 citations
The geopolitical dimension of war is a key issue in politics, economics, military affairs, and education, and reflects the aesthetic role and ongoing representation of social norms such as cultural ideology, social regionalization, historical changes in communities, labor production, and the transfer of information tec...
Juongme Lee· International Journal of Soc...· 0 citations
This article explores the complex role of bouncers in Italian nightclubs. It argues that their actions reveal a profound intertwining of ideology and social practices, particularly the tacit acceptance of inequality as a structural component of contemporary social relationships. Bouncers serve as critical mediators bet...
Pietro Saitta· Journal of contemporary ethn...· 0 citations
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