METHODOLOGY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES AND HUMANITIES
Year:2010 | Volume:16 | Issue:63|Papers Count:7

The aim of this article is to introduce the concept of social science methodology in Islam. Documentary method in the frame of comparative study has been used to compare the views of Western scholars (Kuhn and Popper) with the Islamic Scholar (Choudhury). Results show that Islamic worldview is basically unified, while the Western view is dualistic. Mankind in the Islamic worldview creates his/her social world based on divine knowledge through rationality and creativity. In Islam, theory should be confirmed by worldview. Therefore, theory construction in Islam is done based on worldview and Islamic society is governed based on rationality and creativity. This idea is opposite to positivistic logic (e. g. Popper's idea) in which paradigm and philosophy are directed to social reality. In this condition, change in reality causes change in paradigm and philosophy.

A variety of approaches in the field of humanities methodology is presented. Approaches of positivism or naturalism, behaviorism, structuralism, post structuralism, discourse, critical, postmodern and feminism have a rich literature in the West. These approaches were proposed in the framework of three pillars of ontology, epistemology and methodology. Considering the importance and necessity of localizing in humanities policy, the author, in order to diffuse this culture, considered a moderate of the Humanities Localize and then for trying to approach native humanities such as other approaches, provide and development the three pillars of ontology, epistemology and methodology.After the initial design, the criticism, and a clarification of its weaknesses, a rich theory can be achieved that is applicable to all fields of humanities.

Many theories have so far explored the evolution of economic thought. In this paper, by reviewing these theories critically, we show that in general any of the theoretical explanations has some weaknesses and Humanities, especially economics, has major differences with empirical sciences. Therefore, in its explanations, attention must be paid to the causes of the theoretical evolution of Humanities. Then, for the first time in the existing economic studies about the evolution of economic thought we show (by relying on Foucault's knowledge-power theory) that there has been a relation between the evolution of economic thought and the evolution of power structure between 17th and 19th century. We conclude that the evolution of economic theory is related to social changes, specially the structure of power. The classical theories can also be assessed from the viewpoint of Foucault knowledge-power theory.

The term paradigm is being used in various fields of knowledge. This term has been very ambiguous. The inappropriate applications of this term in scientific communities of Iran have opened grounds for misunderstandings. In this article, different applications of the term paradigm and its conceptual analysis in philosophy of science are studied. Finally, a new definition of this terminology is offered that is more applicable that other definitions.

Content analysis is a scientific research method that has particular characteristics. Today it has become one of the most applicable and popular research methods of social, behavioral, and human sciences. The analysis of textbooks is an essential affair for reasons including the recognition of their strengths and weaknesses. This survey can be done in different methods such as content analysis. We can often use two groups of methods for analyzing the content of textbooks: checklist instruments and readability formulas.This study tries to determine several common readability formulas associated with their characteristics and applications. The amount of readability or readability level has a lot of effects on the understanding of the books’ materials. Many different mathematical formulas can be used for determining the amount of book readabilities. These formulas determine the language complexity degrees of the passages. The most important results show that readability formulas help to determine cases such as class level, age level, instructional level and descriptive style of textbooks. It is, of course, necessary to nationalize each formula for Persian texts so that the results can have more validity.

This paper aims to study the archeology of knowledge and its applicability in the field of human sciences research. Qualitative research works and particularly the archeological ones have caught the attention of researchers since they have shown that the nature and complexity of truth needs more applicable tools and approaches. The archeological approach as a postmodernist method tries to investigate the network of relations that shape the formation of concepts in an applicable way without assuming predetermined relations. This approach is, in fact, a historical analysis but its way of reading and analyzing history involves a methodology which aims to make connections among the philosophical presumptions and frameworks of administrations and institutions and those of detailed experiences of life. It works by being classified under four main parts. The first part or 'formation of objects' discusses the involved elements under three specific categories. The second part or 'enunciative mode' explains how these objects get fixed in administrations and institutions and to what extent their determinacy could be. The third part involves what is called 'formation of concepts,' while the last part or 'the formation of strategies' draws on the mechanisms that account for the conditions of change and discontinuity in these fixed objects. The paper concludes that archeological methodology prepares the way for a pluralistic way of thinking which itself leads to critical thinking. It also could provide a suitable archive of proper answers in this field of research.

To improve situations in our competitive world, setting R&D and technology priorities is one of the shared concerns of researchers as well as policymakers in all countries. Proposing an appropriate method and designing an effective model adopted with special domestic conditions besides both policymaking and policy-implementing is of more importance –due to their aim to catch up- in developing countries like Iran. This study tries to meet this need in a methodological approach on the basis of experts’ tacit knowledge, previous studies done in Iran and the comparative study of other countries’ experiments. This model, considering contingents necessities and restrictions, helps with strategists to use science and technology innovations for implementing national projects directed to our 2020 vision. It also suggests an objective method to managers of governmental research centers about research budget allocation.