TY - UNPB

T1 - Is conceptual vagueness an asset?

T2 - Resilience research from the perspective of philosophy of science

AU - Strunz, Sebastian

PY - 2011

Y1 - 2011

N2 - Is conceptual vagueness an asset or a liability? By weighing arguments from philosophy of science and applying them to the concept of resilience, I address this question. I first sketch the wide spectrum of resilience concepts that ranges from concise concepts to the vague perspective of “resilience thinking”. Subsequently, I set out the methodological arguments in favor and against conceptual vagueness. While traditional philosophy of science emphasizes precision and conceptual clarity as precondition for empirical science, alternative views highlight vagueness as fuel for creative and pragmatic problem-solving. Reviewing this discussion, I argue that a trade-off between vagueness and precision exists, which is to be solved differently depending on the research context. In some contexts research benefits from conceptual vagueness while in others it depends on precision. Assessing the specific example of “resilience thinking” in detail, I propose a restructuring of the conceptual framework which explicitly distinguishes descriptive, evaluative and transformative aspects.

AB - Is conceptual vagueness an asset or a liability? By weighing arguments from philosophy of science and applying them to the concept of resilience, I address this question. I first sketch the wide spectrum of resilience concepts that ranges from concise concepts to the vague perspective of “resilience thinking”. Subsequently, I set out the methodological arguments in favor and against conceptual vagueness. While traditional philosophy of science emphasizes precision and conceptual clarity as precondition for empirical science, alternative views highlight vagueness as fuel for creative and pragmatic problem-solving. Reviewing this discussion, I argue that a trade-off between vagueness and precision exists, which is to be solved differently depending on the research context. In some contexts research benefits from conceptual vagueness while in others it depends on precision. Assessing the specific example of “resilience thinking” in detail, I propose a restructuring of the conceptual framework which explicitly distinguishes descriptive, evaluative and transformative aspects.

KW - Sustainability sciences, Management & Economics

KW - vagueness

KW - philosophy of science

KW - precision

KW - resilience thinking

KW - social-ecological systems

KW - vagueness

KW - philosophy of science

KW - precision

KW - resilience thinking

KW - social-ecological systems

KW - Economics

KW - vagueness

KW - philo

KW - precision

KW - resilience thinking

KW - social-ecological systems

M3 - Working papers

T3 - Working paper series in economics

BT - Is conceptual vagueness an asset?

PB - Institut für Volkswirtschaftslehre der Universität Lüneburg

CY - Lüneburg

ER -