Het pluralisme van theorieën en van werkprogramma's: een kommentaar op Lammers

Samenvatting

Sociology in the Netherlands & in Germany is fraught with strife concerning its goals & directions. Recently, C. J. Lammers discussed the question of professional requisites for a sociological training. Lammers' arguments contain serious ambiguities & his proposals fall short. If these ambiguities are not resolved, they will result in a type of training that would hinder the fruitful development of sociology. Of particular concern are the unintended consequences of Lammers' proposals on the functioning of sociology as science, & focus is on the 1st 2 of his professional requisites. His proposals can be seriously entertained only with a complete understanding of the threefold pluralism of sociology: (1) of scientific projects, (2) of theoretical orientations, & (3) of the theories themselves. Scientific projects are proportionately 'complimentary' (consensus) while theories are 'competitive' (conflict). Practical interests & cognitive arguments are involved in scientific conflicts. These make it doubly difficult to achieve what Lammers has proposed. E. Preston.