«PHILOSOPHICAL DEATH» AS METHODOLOGICAL PRINCIPLE

Rule Learning as a Methodological Principle

The word "rule" plays an important role in modern research on the psychology of learning and thought. There have been attempts to define "problem solving" as the application of rules, and "learning" as the acquisition of rules. Wher~as some authors con.• . 1 ) slder rule learnlng as ~ form of learnlng ,others)are of the opinion that all human behavior is governed by rules2 . The s~t­ sequent ac...

A Researcher’s Dilemma - Philosophical and Methodological Pluralism

In many research textbooks the distinction between qualitative and quantitative research is inadvertently linked with philosophical perspectives. This in essence creates a mutually exclusive relationship between method and philosophy. Initially researchers are led to believe, from these textbooks, that research is neatly divided into mutually exclusive categories, these being quantitative and q...

Gadamerian philosophical hermeneutics as a useful methodological framework for the Delphi technique

In this article we aim to demonstrate how Gadamerian philosophical hermeneutics may provide a sound methodological framework for researchers using the Delphi Technique (Delphi) in studies exploring health and well-being. Reporting of the use of Delphi in health and well-being research is increasing, but less attention has been given to covering its methodological underpinnings. In Delphi, a str...

The Methodological Pluralism of Chemistry and Its Philosophical Implications

In this paper I first point out the pluralist constitution of science in general and of chemistry in particular and then argue that it is inevitable for epistemological reasons. Once methodological pluralism is accepted, many mainstream philosophical debates that are based on methodological monism become futile, of which I discuss “laws of nature”, “reductionism”, and “scientific realism”. That...

Concept of Death; Religio-Philosophical Perspective