Dados is one of the most widely-read social sciences journals in Latin America. Created in 1966, it publishes innovative works, originating from academic research, by Brazilian and foreign authors. Edited by IESP-UERJ, it aims to reconcile scientific rigor and academic excellence with an emphasis on public debate based on the analysis of substantive issues of society and politics.
Dados vol. 46 n. 2 Rio de Janeiro 2003
Abstract
The article aims to investigate and discuss not only the innovations but also the limitations, tensions, and gaps in Jon Elster's methodological concepts, characterized by a type of intentional-causal explanation whose premise is methodological individualism and which chooses the search for explanatory mechanisms as the fundamental analytical strategy. The Norwegian author's theoretical trajectory is reconstructed and articulated with his ''methodology of explanation''. Next, this ''methodology of explanation'' is submitted to analysis by raising and discussing some objections to this approach, as well as answers to such questions that can be found in Elster's work.
Keywords: Jon Elster, explanation, mechanisms
DOI: 10.1590/S0011-52582003000200007
To read Jon Elster: limits and possibilities of explanation by mechanisms in the social sciences
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