Methodology of the social sciences is where the social scientists, philosophers and the persons on the street should meet

Hisashi Nasu

pp. 413-430

in: Thomas Nenon, Philip Blosser (eds), Advancing phenomenology, Berlin, Springer, 2010

Abstract

Lester Embree has observed in an essay that "methodology is where human ­scientists and philosophers can meet" (1980: 367). I agree with this observation, but it needs to be understood adequately. He obviously recognizes this necessity, since he refers primarily to Alfred Schutz's methodology, making a passing reference to a methodology in a narrow sense which forgets the original intent and deals merely with statistics and/or computer technique (cf., ibid.: 371). He implies that if the term "methodology" is understood in the narrow sense, human scientists and ­philosophers cannot or need not meet in a methodology and that Schutz developed a methodology in a broad and adequate sense.

Cited authors

Embree Lester

Schütz Alfred