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dc.contributor.authorTurco, Catherine Joan
dc.contributor.authorZuckerman Sivan, Ezra W
dc.date.accessioned2018-01-16T20:42:13Z
dc.date.available2018-01-16T20:42:13Z
dc.date.issued2017-01
dc.identifier.issn0002-9602
dc.identifier.issn1537-5390
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/113217
dc.description.abstractDuncan Watts, in “Common Sense and Sociological Explanations” (AJS 120 [2014]: 313–51) has done our field a great service by raising a question at the heart of the sociological enterprise: What makes for valuable sociology, and when does it improve upon commonsense explanations? Watts makes three key observations that we believe are quite productive to contemplate. First, one may distinguish between two distinct modes of sociological inquiry: a verstehen (Weber 1968; Watts, p. 318) mode that resembles commonsense explanations in that it aims to establish an empathetic link between the readers or users of such accounts and the actors who populate them; and a “causal” mode, which seeks to identify “generalizable causal mechanisms” (Watts, p. 327; cf. Hedström 2005) that can, in principle, generate testable predictions and, thus, be vetted for their causal validity. Second, sociological theories must have greater causal validity than commonsense explanations if sociology is to make good on its promise of being more valuable than mere common sense. Third, in conducting their research, sociologists often focus on the verstehen mode without engaging in the causal mode.en_US
dc.publisherUniversity of Chicago Pressen_US
dc.relation.isversionofhttp://dx.doi.org/10.1086/690762en_US
dc.rightsArticle is made available in accordance with the publisher's policy and may be subject to US copyright law. Please refer to the publisher's site for terms of use.en_US
dc.sourceUniversity of Chicago Pressen_US
dc.titleVerstehen for Sociology: Comment on Wattsen_US
dc.typeArticleen_US
dc.identifier.citationTurco, Catherine J. and Zuckerman, Ezra W. “Verstehen for Sociology: Comment on Watts.” American Journal of Sociology 122, 4 (January 2017): 1272–1291 © 2017 University of Chicagoen_US
dc.contributor.departmentSloan School of Managementen_US
dc.contributor.mitauthorTurco, Catherine Joan
dc.contributor.mitauthorZuckerman Sivan, Ezra W
dc.relation.journalAmerican Journal of Sociologyen_US
dc.eprint.versionFinal published versionen_US
dc.type.urihttp://purl.org/eprint/type/JournalArticleen_US
eprint.statushttp://purl.org/eprint/status/PeerRevieweden_US
dc.date.updated2018-01-16T19:16:41Z
dspace.orderedauthorsTurco, Catherine J.; Zuckerman, Ezra W.en_US
dspace.embargo.termsNen_US
dc.identifier.orcidhttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-0216-8689
dc.identifier.orcidhttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-6271-0708
mit.licensePUBLISHER_POLICYen_US


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