Sociology

pp. 147-165

in: Luciano L'Abate (ed), Paradigms in theory construction, Berlin, Springer, 2012

Abstract

In this chapter I am transposing pages from a volume (L'Abate, A., in press) that deal in greater breadth and depth with themes that will be touched briefly here. Eventhough I am aware of the confusion proposed by the editor (See Chapter 1 of this volume), among paradigms, theories, and models, the major emphasis of this chapter does not concern itself with the hierarchical organisation among those three terms. Instead, this chapter will concern itself with delimiting the role of paradigms, as originally proposed by Masterman (1970). The major theme proposed here and suggested also by Hillix and L'Abate (Chapter 1 this volume), is the search for an unified paradigm within the field of sociology.