POSC300 Lecture 3: POSC300 Lecture 3
23 Oct 2018
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Document Summary
Prevents us from making objective judgements and evaluations. We interpret things in a way that conforms to our preferences. We set up our studies so that they are sure to confirm our preferences. Empirical statements don"t tell us whether or not something is good or bad - they only tell us what is or why. Contrast to normative statements, which reflect our biases. We are all social beings who live in a social world. Knowledge is evaluative, value-laden, and concerned with telling us what ought to be. This would be informed by science, but it should not guide how we do science. Key is to recognize your own biases and guard against them in research. The values and interests of a researcher will affect what they study and how they study. Not necessarily a bad thing as long as you hypothesize in a way that doesn"t alter the result.
