From: Vincent Campbell (VCampbell@dmu.ac.uk)
Date: Thu 05 Feb 2004 - 12:38:14 GMT
<How often does groupthink show up on the archives?>
Was it really only me? How embarassing...
<Sounds like this fella was tying groupthink into memetics somehow.
If you
> fail to see a connection between memetics and groupthink as the above
> author
> I quoted alludes to, you might want to send him an e-mail. I'm sure he'd
> love to explain himself to you on the point he was trying to make. Take it
>
> easy on him though, please :-)>
>
I e-mail myself all the time, so it would be nothing new :-)
<Vincent, you, a social scientist, cannot play neutral Swiss on
this.>
Indeed, but I do prefer conciliation and mutual respect rather than
the old arguments, that have raised their heads here recently. I
increasingly feel that the social sciences need to get back to first
principles about empirical research, and away from ideological relativism
and solipism, but quite a lot of social science does actually do that. My
own field is rather over filled with relativists and solipsists,
unfortunately so the struggle is a little harder. However, there are also
aspects of science (as institution, not as epistemological methodology) ) as
a social construction that scientists need to recognise (e.g. the
politicised nature of research funding, or the social status of scientists,
the dissemination of science etc. etc.).
< big snip... I wasn't pointing my comments towards you, but towards
those who would casually denigrate and dismiss social science.>
I accept what you're saying, I think I was just looking for a
relevant posting to stick my tuppence in.
Vincent
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