Report on the Theoretical Perspectives in Social Science: An Overview

This report provides a comprehensive review of the article "A Skin, Not a Sweater: Ontology and Epistemology in Political Science" by David Marsh and Paul Furlong. The report delves into the core concepts of social science, specifically focusing on ontology and epistemology, examining their definitions, applications, and importance in understanding the actions and perspectives of social and political scientists. It discusses the authors' views, the language used in the article, and the credibility of the authors based on their qualifications and publication history. The report analyzes the article's publication details, including its availability and relevance. Furthermore, it explores the authors' objective of providing knowledge on various issues faced by social and political scientists through the lens of ontology and epistemology, highlighting the significance of these concepts in shaping perspectives within the field. The report concludes by summarizing the key points discussed and offering a comprehensive overview of the article's content and its implications for social science studies.

The Theoretical Perspectives in the
social science

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
MAIN BODY...................................................................................................................................1
Topic Discussed by the Authors..................................................................................................1
Credibility of Authors..................................................................................................................3
Publication details........................................................................................................................3
View of Author............................................................................................................................4
Language Used in Article............................................................................................................4
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................5
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................6

INTRODUCTION
Social science is considered as the branch of science that is related to the study of human
societies and relationship between individuals who exists in these societies. This term is related
to the field of sociology which is original science of the science of the society. This is report is
presenting the brief review of article that is based on the theoretical concepts of social science.
Report is studying the and analysing the article that is presented by David Marsh and Paul
Furlong and name of article is A Skin, Not a Sweater: Ontology and Epistemology in Political
Science (Marsh and Furlong, 2002). On the basic concept of ontology and epistemology the
concept of social science are explained in report. The main point that is considered in this report
is related to various issues that are faced by the social scientist and political scientists. The
complete article will be discussed in the report. The relevance of information provided in the
report is analysed on the basis of authority of author and their qualification in the particular field.
Various factors that are associated to article also will be considered in the report to check the
relevancy of the information that is considered in the report.
MAIN BODY
Topic Discussed by the Authors
The idea that is discussed in the article is basically on topic of social science where the
two different concepts of social science are used to get better and effective knowledge of various
challenges and issues are faced by the people in identifying the actions that are performed by
social scientists. The actions of individual person are based on their orientation and mind set. All
the action of social scientists are depended on how they think and how much capable they are.
Their knowledge and capability defines their actions and performance in field of social science.
There are mainly two topics are discussed in the article which are two concepts of social science.
These concepts are known as ontology and Epistemology (Lowndes, Marsh and Stoker, 2017)
Ontology is a branch of metaphysics that deals with the nature of being in real. The
concept of ontology is known as a set of concepts and sub categories in a particular subject area
or a domain that can represent properties and interrelationship between various concepts and
their categories. This concept is all about what kind of things are exists and how they are entitled
in the universe. This can understand as a process that includes the process that help the
individual person to subdivide the knowledge in sub categories and in right order to make it
meaningful and easy to learn. The classification of this knowledge is completed in the manner to
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make it related to each other and conclude meaning when combined together. For the broader
concept this knowledge is classified in various categories and types. It is basically known as the
process which is a philosophical study of being. This study directly related to the concepts of
Being, Existence, Becoming, Reality and other basic relation. There are different type of
ontologies are there which are known as Upper Ontologies, Domain Ontology, Interface
Ontology and Process Ontology. Each type of Ontology consists of different type of knowledge.
The Upper Ontology is known as concept supporting the development of ontology as branch of
the meta physics. The Domain Ontology is known as concepts that are related to the particular
topic. Is is also known as area of discuss or area of interest (Haer, Vüllers and Weidmann, 2019).
There are some examples of these ontology, for example information technology, computer
language or particular branch of science. Interface ontology can be explained as concepts of
relevant junction of two disciplines. The last ontology is known as Process Ontology that
includes input, outputs, sequences information and constraints that are involved in business and
engineering processes. This is article is considering all this information to consider the issues of
ontology for political scienct that is branch of social science.
The other concept that is considered in the article is known as Epistemology in the
political science. The concept of epistemology for the political science is basically known as
process that studies political ideas and knowledge as a variable which affects political actions. It
affects the political disputation as objects and product of political behaviour or institution. The
philosophy of social science studies both methods and history that are used to gain knowledge of
political science. This concept of social science studies that knowledge in general to make it
related to the philosophy of social and political science to relate it to the particular processes and
political methods (Avelino and Grin, 2017). The level of certainty is maximised that we possess
about the certain concepts of political science. The epistemology is basically known as the theory
of knowledge. There are various things are studied in epistemology which are nature of
knowledge, rationalities of the beliefs and justifications. There are main four areas which areas
included in the epistemology are known as Philosophical analysis of nature of knowledge and
how this knowledge relates to the beliefs, truth and justification. Various problems and issues of
Skepticism, various sources of knowledge and scope of knowledge and justifies beliefs and the
last on is the criteria of knowledge and related justification. This is basic concept of
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Epistemology in the political science where the theory of knowledge is explained for the issues
that are faced by the social scientists.
Credibility of Authors
This article has been completed by two well-known Authors David mash and Paul
Furlong. As per the professional background of both the authors, they are qualified enough to
discuss the area they are reporting. David Marsh is a British Political Scientist whose main area
of interest is issues of political participation, policy transfer and governance. He was also
Director of Research School of Social Sciences at ANU. He is not only qualified but he also has
preferable experience of publishing various kinds of papers in this field. He is quite qualified and
has published more than 90 articles, book chapters and is currently co-editor of the journal
British Politics. Other author Paul Furlong is a professor of clinical neuroimaging at Aston
University. He is M.phil. And Ph. D in Clinical Neurophysiology from Aston University. He has
a long interest in sensory information processing, pain processing, somatosensory etc. He has
published more than 20 research papers, articles, book chapters and many more. Both the authors
are specialist in their fields and have wide knowledge of their respective fields. So, it can be said
that both the authors of this article “A Skin, not a Sweater: Ontology and Epistemology in
Political Science” are specialist in their respective fields and have a vast knowledge of their
respective fields (Klakegg, 2016). It can also be said that both of them are qualified enough to
discuss the area they are reporting.
Publication details
This article was published on well effective platforms that are highly authentic and
having good class in international. The source of publication is also important to make the article
more relevant for the readers who consider it as the source of knowledge and information that
can provide them basic concepts of political science. For the publication of this article various
publications are used which is Google scholar and article publisher. As the google is highly
authentic information source so this article is highly reliable and easy to access. It can be easily
found just by having internet access (Blaney and Tickner, 2017). This article was published in
year 2002 with the name of two authors one if David, Marsh and Paul Furlong. This article is
available free of cost on google scholar. This availability on the google scholar is improving the
relevance of the article on worldwide level.
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View of Author
The main objective of the author through this is article is to provide the knowledge of the
various issues about the work that is performed by the social and political scientists. This
knowledge is delivered to the readers by using the concepts of Ontology and epistemology.
There are various orientations are possessed by the social and political scientists and their work
in the particular field is depended on their mind set. There are various theories are analysed and
utilised by the social and political scientists. Two positions are explained in the article which are
related to ontology position and epistemology position. There are various issues are consider by
the social scientists and the main perception is need to be developed where this issues are no
longer are considered as the issues. This issues can be avoided in the process to utilise other
source effectively (Goldman, Turner and Daly, 2018). There are two different concepts are
explained in the research and it is explained that the concepts of Ontology and epistemology are
like skin not like a sweater. It is not possible to utilise these concepts as per the needs. This is
responsibility of the students to identify their own position and hold it and defend their position..
These positions are ontological position and other position is epistemology position. As per the
article they have to select an alternative position on the fundamental question. Later in the
article there are various questions are considered which are mentioned as ontological question
and other questions are epistemology questions. With the help of these question individual
student of social or political science can identify their suitable position one form ontological
position and epistemological position. This is how in this article authors have made perception
about the various positions that can be utilised by the student of political and social science
student to gain knowledge and categorised it in various categories.
Language Used in Article
This is important for the author to keep the information unbiased and relevant to keep
article free from various issues. The language used by authors in this article is free from bias
language and free from emotions (Kreuzer and Parsons, 2018). There are no hidden agents in the
article that can make it more biased and lean towards the one of the position that is explained in
the report. There are no hidden agendas in report that can force the reader to make certain
decision about their position in the political studies. The distinctions and its importance is also
included in the article that make this article more relevant because it is providing explanation to
all perspectives to in order to help the reader to select one of this approach or position after
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reading this document. The both position are equally prioritised in the article to make readers
more aware of these position with high effectiveness. There are two different case studies are
provided in the article that can help the individual person to get detailed information on various
other concepts that are related to the ontology positions and epistemological position as the
political or social scientist (Schulz, 2017). The meaning of these two concept are different but
somehow these both concepts are important for social scientists related to the subject of political
science.. Then after the whole article the brief conclusion of the article has been presented to
provide the summery of information that is provided in the article. There some articles are also
provided in the report that can be used to get more detailed information of positions that are
provided in this article.
CONCLUSION
This report is concluding the brief information that is provided in the article that is
developed by David Marsh and Paul Furlong. This report is an analysis of article which is related
to the social and political science. The brief information of the ontology and Epistemologist
position has been provided in the report. On the basis of the origin, source evaluation and
position & designation of author the relevance of the article has been concluded. Language used
in the article has been evaluated to check, the language is biased or not. This is how whole study
has been performed on these article.
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REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Avelino, F. and Grin, J., 2017. Beyond deconstruction. a reconstructive perspective on
sustainability transition governance. Environmental Innovation and Societal Transitions. 22.
pp.15-25.
Blaney, D.L. and Tickner, A.B., 2017. Worlding, ontological politics and the possibility of a
decolonial IR. Millennium. 45(3). pp.293-311.
Goldman, M.J., Turner, M.D. and Daly, M., 2018. A critical political ecology of human
dimensions of climate change: Epistemology, ontology, and ethics. Wiley Interdisciplinary
Reviews: Climate Change. 9(4). p.e526.
Haer, R., Vüllers, J. and Weidmann, N.B., 2019. Studying micro dynamics in civil wars:
introduction. Zeitschrift für Friedens-und Konfliktforschung. 8(2). pp.151-159.
Klakegg, O.J., 2016. Ontology and epistemology. In Designs, Methods and Practices for
Research of Project Management (pp. 87-96). Routledge.
Kreuzer, M. and Parsons, C., 2018. Epistemological and Ontological Priors: Varieties of
Explicitness and Research Integrity. American Political Science Association Organized
Section for Qualitative and Multi-Method Research, Qualitative Transparency
Deliberations, Working Group Final Reports, Report I, pp.1-1.
Lowndes, V., Marsh, D. and Stoker, G. eds., 2017. Theory and methods in political science.
Macmillan International Higher Education.
Marsh, D. and Furlong, P., 2002. A skin not a sweater: ontology and epistemology in
political science. Theory and methods in political science. 2. pp.17-41.
Schulz, K.A., 2017. Decolonizing political ecology: ontology, technology
and'critical'enchantment. Journal of Political Ecology. 24(1). pp.125-143.
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