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[The teaching of understanding as science]
Zeitschrift Fur Psychosomatische Medizin Und Psychoanalyse
|July 1, 1978
Summary
This study differentiates between explaining and understanding, highlighting the scientific validity of both. Misapplying explanation methods in understanding contexts, and vice versa, is unscientific.
Area of Science:
- Philosophy of Science
- Epistemology
- Hermeneutics
Context:
- Examines the distinction between 'explaining' and 'understanding' as conceptualized by Dilthey.
- Utilizes a scientific treatise on deafness and a medical report as case studies.
- Addresses the potential for methodological confusion in scientific inquiry.
Purpose:
- To interpret and illustrate the difference between explaining and understanding.
- To demonstrate the risks of conflating these two distinct epistemological processes.
- To assert the scientific legitimacy of understanding as a research domain.
Summary:
- The paper differentiates between explaining and understanding, drawing on Dilthey's philosophical framework.
- It argues that both are valid scientific methodologies but must be applied within their appropriate domains.
- Conflating explanation and understanding leads to unscientific practices and flawed research outcomes.
Impact:
- Clarifies the boundaries and scientific standing of 'understanding' in research.
- Provides a framework for avoiding methodological errors in scientific interpretation.
- Enhances the rigor of scientific inquiry by emphasizing domain-specific application of methods.