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The conception of science as deductive formalism in the study of international politics : a critique

University of British Columbia

This thesis examines the conception of science as deductive formalism from two perspectives. First, it considers the philosophical foundations of two aspects of this conception: the deductive-nomological model of explanation and the hypothetico-deductive model of theory. Secondly, it considers arguments favoring the use of these models in international politics and political science and examines several deductive theories that have been put forth in international politics. It concludes that the conception of science as deductive formalism is inadequate both philosophically and practically as a model for the scientific development of international politics and recommends that scholars in this field pursue research based upon more viable alternative conceptions of science.

Text

2010-01-22

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http://hdl.handle.net/2429/18912

Political Science

University of British Columbia

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