Utopias and Dystopias as Models of Social Technology
This paper presents some proposals for social science advanced by Otto Neurath, focusing on scientific utopianism. Neurath suggests that social scientists should formulate ideals of social arrangements in utopian style, aiming at discussing scientific proposals with a community. Utopias are deemed...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina
2015-09-01
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| Series: | Principia: An International Journal of Epistemology |
| Online Access: | https://periodicos.ufsc.br/index.php/principia/article/view/41606 |
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| _version_ | 1849388658915803136 |
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| author | Ivan Ferreira da Cunha |
| author_facet | Ivan Ferreira da Cunha |
| author_sort | Ivan Ferreira da Cunha |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description |
This paper presents some proposals for social science advanced by Otto Neurath, focusing on scientific utopianism. Neurath suggests that social scientists should formulate ideals of social arrangements in utopian style, aiming at discussing scientific proposals with a community. Utopias are deemed as models of social science, in the sense proposed by Nancy Cartwright. This view is contrasted with the claim that scientism might lead to dystopian consequences in social planning, drawn from Aldous Huxley’s fiction and from Paul Feyerabend’s philosophy of science. Thus, social science displays a unusual feature: sometimes a model has to be called off, in spite of its perfect functioning, because it brings about unwanted consequences. In the planning of a free democratic society, this ambiguity of utopia and dystopia is highly desirable, for it stimulates essential debates. Social science, therefore, is to be regarded from a plural and fallibilist standpoint.
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| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-7ae5c53e7fe0444eb7fc42749d02e16d |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1808-1711 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2015-09-01 |
| publisher | Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Principia: An International Journal of Epistemology |
| spelling | doaj-art-7ae5c53e7fe0444eb7fc42749d02e16d2025-08-20T03:42:13ZengUniversidade Federal de Santa CatarinaPrincipia: An International Journal of Epistemology1808-17112015-09-0119310.5007/1808-1711.2015v19n3p36324914Utopias and Dystopias as Models of Social TechnologyIvan Ferreira da Cunha0State University of Maringá Universidade Estadual de Maringá This paper presents some proposals for social science advanced by Otto Neurath, focusing on scientific utopianism. Neurath suggests that social scientists should formulate ideals of social arrangements in utopian style, aiming at discussing scientific proposals with a community. Utopias are deemed as models of social science, in the sense proposed by Nancy Cartwright. This view is contrasted with the claim that scientism might lead to dystopian consequences in social planning, drawn from Aldous Huxley’s fiction and from Paul Feyerabend’s philosophy of science. Thus, social science displays a unusual feature: sometimes a model has to be called off, in spite of its perfect functioning, because it brings about unwanted consequences. In the planning of a free democratic society, this ambiguity of utopia and dystopia is highly desirable, for it stimulates essential debates. Social science, therefore, is to be regarded from a plural and fallibilist standpoint. https://periodicos.ufsc.br/index.php/principia/article/view/41606 |
| spellingShingle | Ivan Ferreira da Cunha Utopias and Dystopias as Models of Social Technology Principia: An International Journal of Epistemology |
| title | Utopias and Dystopias as Models of Social Technology |
| title_full | Utopias and Dystopias as Models of Social Technology |
| title_fullStr | Utopias and Dystopias as Models of Social Technology |
| title_full_unstemmed | Utopias and Dystopias as Models of Social Technology |
| title_short | Utopias and Dystopias as Models of Social Technology |
| title_sort | utopias and dystopias as models of social technology |
| url | https://periodicos.ufsc.br/index.php/principia/article/view/41606 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT ivanferreiradacunha utopiasanddystopiasasmodelsofsocialtechnology |