Interpretivism and Qualitative Research
In: Stephen Turner and the Philosophy of the SocialSearch for other papers by Julie Zahle in
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Abstract
Interpretivism is commonly associated with the employment of qualitative methods. In philosophical discussions of interpretivism, however, the way in which qualitative research is conducted and may serve as basis for the advancement of interpretations is almost never considered. In this paper, I explore how the philosophical discussions may benefit from taking into account the way qualitative researchers go about their business. From this perspective, I examine Taylor’s influential defense of interpretivism and two objections to it, the argument from lack of brute data and the argument from underdetermination. I argue that, by bringing into view how qualitative research proceeds, it may be shown that Taylor’s position should be amended, that the argument from brute data should be dismissed, and that the argument from underdetermination has a much smaller scope than assumed by its proponents.