Department of Philosophy, Politics and Economics
Chair of Theoretical Philosophy and Philosophy of the Social Sciences
From the individual disciplines to an overarching theory
The Chair of Theoretical Philosophy and Philosophy of the Social Sciences focuses its research on the question of how theories from the social sciences and other scientific disciplines can be integrated into a superordinate theory. It touches on questions about the conditions of truth of these scientific theories as well as questions of methodological unity or difference. In addition, it works on the methodological foundations of evidence-based management and deals with theories of causality and the division of species as a basic concept of academic staff.
In teaching, the chair also deals with topics such as political philosophy, the game-theoretical foundations of social structure, the philosophy of mind and general epistemology. It examines how forms of co-operation can emerge and remain stable between fundamentally self-interested actors. The philosophy of mind is primarily concerned with the question of the relationship between the mind and the material world. General epistemology is concerned, among other things, with the question of what distinguishes scientific from non-scientific theories.
Chair holder
Univ.-Prof. Dr.
Jens Harbecke
Chair holder
Faculty of Management, Economics and Society (Department of Philosophy, Politics and Economics) | Chair of Theoretical Philosophy and Philosophy of the Social Sciences
Programme Coordinator M.A. PPE – Philosophy, Politics and Economics
Faculty of Management, Economics and Society
Board Member
Faculty of Management, Economics and Society (Department of Philosophy, Politics and Economics) | PPE Institute for Social and Institutional Change (ISIC)
Alfred-Herrhausen-Straße 50
58455 Witten
Room number: 1.221
Research
The question of what constitutes the scientific method and what distinguishes it from non-scientific approaches to gaining knowledge is a philosophical-theoretical problem with far-reaching practical implications. On the one hand, its solution concerns the sciences themselves, which have to orientate their work accordingly and can thus reflect critically on themselves at the same time. On the other hand, it concerns different everyday contexts, such as that of an evidence-based method for entrepreneurial decisions. This raises the question of the conditions under which factual (e.g. "This raven is black.") and natural law statements (e.g. "All ravens are black.") can be considered reliable, how the induction problem can be negotiated in practical challenges and which fact-based false conclusions are possible in principle. The induction problem describes the challenge of deducing a statement of natural law ("All ravens are black") from a finite number of cases ("Raven 1 is black", "Raven 2 is black", "Raven n is black").
The research method applied by the chair is primarily the logical-analytical clarification of concepts, which is based on the appropriation of scientific knowledge and canonical research methods.
Our questions:
- What distinguishes science from non-science?
- What constitutes the scientific method?
- What is evidence-based management from a methodological perspective?
- What can be considered an explanation as opposed to a mere description of a phenomenon, especially in the social and cognitive sciences?
- Under what conditions can factual and natural law statements be considered reliable?
- How can the induction problem be negotiated in practical challenges?
- Which factual fallacies are possible in principle?
- How can constitutive-mechanistic and causal explanations be constructed?
- What metaphysical assumptions underlie the various scientific models?
- Why do the explanatory models in economics and other social sciences differ from those in psychology?
- What is our current best theory of causality?
- How do game theory findings relate to classical theories of business ethics?
Current research projects
- The integration of interdisciplinary research in the neurosciences and social sciences
- Causality and computational explanations in the cognitive sciences
- The scientific method of constitutive reasoning
- The form and structure of constitutive-mechanistic explanations
- The relationship between counterfactual theories and regularity theories of causality
Completed research projects
- Model development in the neurosciences: on the simplicity and generalisability of mechanistic explanations
- The integration of transdisciplinary research in neuroscience and economics: A methodological case study on the relationship between economic policy and neuroscience-based action theory (INSOSCI)
Publications
All publications of the Chair of Theoretical Philosophy and Philosophy of the Social Sciences at the UW/H are summarised in the university bibliography.
Teaching
In the courses offered by the chair, students deal with topics from the fields of epistemology, political philosophy, metaphysics, game theory, ethics and evidence-based management.
- Introduction to epistemology
- Political philosophy
- Philosophy of economics
- Game theory and social structure
- Evidence-based management
- Philosophy of Cognitive Science
Forms of teaching
The courses are based on Witten didactics, which provides for a high degree of individualisation of learning, interaction instead of 'chalk and talk' teaching and a strong practical orientation. Innovative examination formats are also used to develop the Transcript of Records together with the students. This didactic approach promotes independent learning and creative-critical thinking.
Theory and practice
Jens Harbecke, external professors and representatives from business and society organise the courses in cooperation. Among other things, the courses on epistemology and evidence-based management are based on case studies that are developed together with partners from the field and presented to the students to work on. In this way, they are offered the broadest possible knowledge base.
Analytical expertise
Dealing with philosophical issues is primarily a theoretical challenge that concerns fundamental questions of knowledge and action. However, the analytical skills acquired in this way are directly relevant to practical contexts. In this sense, the Chair's courses give students the opportunity to acquire important basic skills for their future activities, for example as scientists and entrepreneurs, managers, politicians or consultants.
The Team of the Chair of Theoretical Philosophy and Philosophy of the Social Sciences
Manja Kleffmann
Secretariat
Faculty of Management, Economics and Society (Department of Philosophy, Politics and Economics) | Chair of Theoretical Philosophy and Philosophy of the Social Sciences
Alfred-Herrhausen-Straße 50
58448 WittenRoom number: C-1.158
Dr.
Luna De Souter
Researcher
Faculty of Management, Economics and Society (Department of Philosophy, Politics and Economics) | Chair of Theoretical Philosophy and Philosophy of the Social Sciences
Alfred-Herrhausen-Straße 50
58455 WittenRoom number: E.101