The methodological monism is an approach to the study of the sciences, both natural and social, based on the scientific method. It is also known as quantitative research.
In this sense, the methodological monism approach provides a unique study perspective for all of reality. Philosophically, he opposes methodological dualism and methodological pluralism.
What monism seeks is to give an epistemic treatment to any phenomenon, that is, based on precise data. This means basing studies on logical deduction processes supported by verifiable facts, such as probabilities and quantitative measurements.
The ultimate goal of methodological monism is the numerical quantification of the human. Philosophically, this model of thought dates back to Comte's positivism.
The analyzes are then carried out on the basis of so-called representative samples which are subjected to statistical analysis. From the behavior of these samples, the results are generalized towards the universal.
Origin
To trace the origins of methodological monism, one must go back to positivism as a philosophical current. This trend of thought originates in 19th century France and then spreads to the rest of Europe.
The main representatives of this current were Henri de Saint-Simon, Auguste Comte and John Stuart Mill. It also had Francis Bacon as its precursor.
This school of thought arose in the historical context of the 18th and 19th centuries. This was due to the need to analyze and study human-type phenomena from a scientific point of view, such as the French Revolution.
The resource by which positivism explains the phenomena of science is reason. In this case we speak of an instrumental reason. The objective of this scheme is to explain the events through a causal order.
To articulate these explanations, appeal is made to universal laws, whether of physics, chemistry or other branches of natural science.
One of the vital aspects of positivism is the documentation of events or phenomena. The essential value is the documented evidence so that many times the phenomena cannot be seen as a synthesis or totality.
Comte in the line of methodological monism
The most significant contribution Comte made to this way of thinking was incorporating the social sciences into the scientific study model. Comte then poses human society as the "organism" to be studied, in the same way that a living organism would be.
Comte argued that the analysis of social processes should be based on the practical observation of facts, that is, on experience. This is what has been called empirical reason.
According to Comte, it is scientific analysis that allows us to deduce both the structure and the changes that occur in social processes. Even in his approach to human knowledge Comte raises three instances.
First, there would be a magical religious phase through which the divine was the means to interpret physical and human phenomena in general. In this instance the explanations around the world would be in the realm of the irrational.
Then, in the second stage of human history, man would have assumed ideas or philosophy as a method to explain phenomena. In this period, man began to appeal to reason in search of the whys.
Finally, according to Comte, humanity would have passed to a scientific instance. In this phase the explanation of all phenomena is sought through the scientific method, as well as through the use of exact sciences such as mathematics.
Methodological monism would be an ultimate derivation of positivism. Referring to the different phenomena, its final claim is to cover everything through the systematization of scientific data.
characteristics
There are a number of characteristics inherent to methodological monism. Below we present the most essential in a broken down and synthetic way.
-Methodological monism encompasses all sciences, both social and natural, under the same method of analysis.
-The method of analysis used by methodological monism is the scientific method.
-Pre-eminence is given to mathematics, as well as statistical sciences and probabilities to study processes, both related to nature and the social sciences.
-Through the logical articulation of scientific data, inferences are established between different phenomena or events, both natural and social.
-We work on the basis of representative samples and then the results of the analysis of the samples are extrapolated to a general and universal scope.
Questioning
Despite the rigor of the monist scheme, critical voices have emerged. Broadly speaking, these opposing opinions refer to the dogmatic character of methodological monism. This especially refers to encompassing all the phenomena in a single analytical method.
In contrast to methodological monism, there would be methodological dualism and methodological pluralism. These fundamentally are opposed to encompassing all phenomena in the same analysis scheme.
What these alternative techniques propose is to study each phenomenon according to its own nature. These latter methods give greater prominence to the subjective character. Above all, this is pertinent for certain social phenomena with diffuse characteristics where exact measurements around human aspects are difficult.
In relation to dualism and pluralism, a total vision of the phenomenon is deprived, rather than its deconstruction into parts. Those who oppose science with the utmost rigor also argue that there are even sciences that are not fully quantifiable, such as the case of chemistry.
Examples
In different areas of human disciplines there are approaches that occur under the scheme of methodological monism.
For example, in the field of psychology, the behavioral school is in the orbit of quantifiable results because of certain behaviors.
Similarly, economics offers a clear example of how human phenomena can be quantified from exact numerical variables. The mathematical underpinning of economics and its scientific rigor offers an excellent example of the application of methodological monism.
Even the scientific approach to human sciences has taken a new approach in recent decades. This especially in relation to study methods such as chaos theory.
The field of methodological monism has meant an effort by the human species to have a more precise notion of the world and its processes.
References
- Ayer, A. (1966). Logical Positivism. New York: Simon and Schuster.
- Dusek, T. (2008). Methodological Monism in Economics. The Journal of Philosophical Economics, 26-50.
- Goldman, AI (1986). Epistemology and Cognition. Massachusetts: Harvard University Press.
- Hawkesworth, ME (2008). Beyond Methodological Monism. Women & Politics, 5-9.
- Salas, H. (2011). Quantitative Research (Methodological Monism) and Qualitative (Methodological Dualism): The epistemic status of research results in social disciplines. Moebio tape, 1-21.