Premium
On the Ontological Status of Ideas
Author(s) -
Bhaskar Roy
Publication year - 1997
Publication title -
journal for the theory of social behaviour
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.615
H-Index - 51
eISSN - 1468-5914
pISSN - 0021-8308
DOI - 10.1111/1468-5914.00031
Subject(s) - epistemology , dialectic , metatheory , reflexivity , realism , schema (genetic algorithms) , ontology , ideology , sociology , critical realism (philosophy of perception) , philosophy , social science , computer science , machine learning , politics , political science , law
Four recent turns (realist, processual, holistic and reflexive) in social thought are discussed and related to the four dimensional schema of dialectical realism the author has recently outlined. It is shown how ontology matters, and indeed is not only necessary but inevitable, The nature of the reality of ideas (of different types) is demonstrated and the most prevalent mistakes in the metatheory of ideas and ideation analysed. The significance of categorical realism and the character of those specific types if ideas known as ‘ideologies’ are then discussed. Finally some good and bad dialectical connections of ideas and related phenomena are sketched.