What is it precisely that interpretive social research researches?

Area of Science:

• Social Sciences
• Qualitative Research
• Interpretive Methods

Background:

• Existing literature on interpretive social science lacks precision regarding its focus and aims.
• Ambiguity in defining 'meaning' and its acquisition processes hinders methodological clarity.

Purpose of the Study:

• To address the imprecision in the focus and aims of interpretive social science.
• To define the core objective of interpretive social science as mirroring propositions that create social realities.
• To explore the processes of meaning acquisition and intentional inference.

Main Methods:

• Comparative analysis of physical and social reality dimensions.
• Exploration of the definition and acquisition of 'meaning'.
• Inference of intentional inferences made by human agents under observation.

Main Results:

• The focus of interpretive social science is identified as the propositions sustaining social realities.
• The aim is to construct valid mirror images of these propositions.
• Successful construction requires inferring prior intentional inferences of observed agents.

Conclusions:

• Interpretive social science aims to accurately represent the propositions underlying social realities.
• Methodological rigor is achieved through inferring agents' intentional inferences.
• This approach enhances the clarity and validity of qualitative research findings.