Matches in SemOpenAlex for { <https://semopenalex.org/work/W764457493> ?p ?o ?g. }
- W764457493 startingPage "1" @default.
- W764457493 abstract "ABSTRACTMore than sixty years ago, T. D. Weldon (1953) published an influential book entitled The Vocabulary of Politics. In it he affirmed a common belief among philosophers of language that words which could not be connected to objective, measurable objects and rendered the legitimate study of scientific investigation deserved to be dismissed as merely emotive utterances unworthy of serious consideration. They, he said, were either boo words that registered displeasure or hurrah words that expressed pleasure. Whichever they were, however, they were meaningless, since there was no externally observable referent to which an unbiased observer could appeal. They might, of course, fulfill some emotional need or communicate a personal preference; but, they were philosophically useless beyond that. So, for example, my statement that I like chocolate ice cream and your statement that you like Tutti Frutti ice cream may describe our different tastes, but they are useless insofar as determining which flavour is somehow better. What goes for ice cream goes equally well for justice, beauty and so on. Weldon argued that normative or evaluative concepts, in the absence of some basis for empirical falsification, were not worth a single philosopher's breath. This discussion paper invites readers to consider whether there is more to just semantics than that. Readers are invited to consider some of the philosophical underpinnings of what our words mean and, indeed, to ponder what might be. In fact, it comes close to asking what meaning might be. It also implies that it is incumbent upon anyone from patricians, plutocrats, prime ministers and presidents, plebeians, peasants, proletarians and even lumpenproletarians to use care when discussing politics.Keywords: democracy, essentially contested concept, meaning, semantic differential, GallieIntroductionPolitical scientists and others whose job it is to study democracy have a number of questions that they must ask and answer before their hypothesizing, theorizing and philosophizing can begin in earnest. Among other things, they must get comfortable with their basic approach. For the empirically inclined, that means that they must decide what specific aspect of democracy they want to study, from which theoretical perspective and with what methodological techniques. There are ample options. Among the potentially fruitful domains of inquiry are the relationships between democratic governance and economic, geographic, psychological and sociological variables. Social scientists of all sorts are eager to determine how democratic governance is initiated and maintained. What are the prerequisites of a democratic order? How do democracies function? What can bring them down?Democracy as a Subject of Scientific InquiryResearchers who like to putter about with the origins and evolution of democracy want to know how democratic innovations undermined and ultimately replaced authoritarian feudal regimes. This subject must be approached historically. It involves posing questions such as:* What gave rise to the English Civil War (1640-1649) and the subsequent Glorious Revolution (1688) that set the wheels of modern British constitutional government in motion?* What were the precursors of dramatic events including the American and the French revolutions?* What were the precursors of dramatic events including the American and the French revolutions?* What prompted the European revolts of 1848, and what caused them to fail?Others are more interested in the workings of contemporary democracies. Some of the many forms that their inquiries can take involve questions about how democratic governments can be institutionalized, especially in countries with no significant exposure to the far-famed Westminster Model and little indigenous experience with democratic controls on the state. Of special interest here are the socio-economic preconditions needed for formal democracies to develop. …" @default.
- W764457493 created "2016-06-24" @default.
- W764457493 creator A5012413316 @default.
- W764457493 date "2014-01-01" @default.
- W764457493 modified "2023-09-26" @default.
- W764457493 title "Democracy as an Essentially Contested Concept" @default.
- W764457493 cites W103806982 @default.
- W764457493 cites W1497147443 @default.
- W764457493 cites W1532496950 @default.
- W764457493 cites W1548696089 @default.
- W764457493 cites W1568183918 @default.
- W764457493 cites W1593728750 @default.
- W764457493 cites W164768207 @default.
- W764457493 cites W1965659488 @default.
- W764457493 cites W1967682388 @default.
- W764457493 cites W2007075643 @default.
- W764457493 cites W2013860961 @default.
- W764457493 cites W2023450662 @default.
- W764457493 cites W2027793537 @default.
- W764457493 cites W2062553827 @default.
- W764457493 cites W2063899746 @default.
- W764457493 cites W2068370029 @default.
- W764457493 cites W2078659777 @default.
- W764457493 cites W2140409505 @default.
- W764457493 cites W2143200366 @default.
- W764457493 cites W2145016159 @default.
- W764457493 cites W2163657079 @default.
- W764457493 cites W2168115669 @default.
- W764457493 cites W2168695899 @default.
- W764457493 cites W2170073402 @default.
- W764457493 cites W2318968893 @default.
- W764457493 cites W2323266160 @default.
- W764457493 cites W2415346773 @default.
- W764457493 cites W2527743293 @default.
- W764457493 cites W2796530594 @default.
- W764457493 cites W2799391587 @default.
- W764457493 cites W412888668 @default.
- W764457493 cites W567595987 @default.
- W764457493 hasPublicationYear "2014" @default.
- W764457493 type Work @default.
- W764457493 sameAs 764457493 @default.
- W764457493 citedByCount "2" @default.
- W764457493 countsByYear W7644574932014 @default.
- W764457493 countsByYear W7644574932016 @default.
- W764457493 crossrefType "journal-article" @default.
- W764457493 hasAuthorship W764457493A5012413316 @default.
- W764457493 hasConcept C107038049 @default.
- W764457493 hasConcept C111472728 @default.
- W764457493 hasConcept C138885662 @default.
- W764457493 hasConcept C139621336 @default.
- W764457493 hasConcept C144024400 @default.
- W764457493 hasConcept C15744967 @default.
- W764457493 hasConcept C169760540 @default.
- W764457493 hasConcept C17744445 @default.
- W764457493 hasConcept C199539241 @default.
- W764457493 hasConcept C2776215170 @default.
- W764457493 hasConcept C2777096784 @default.
- W764457493 hasConcept C2777113389 @default.
- W764457493 hasConcept C2778449503 @default.
- W764457493 hasConcept C2780620123 @default.
- W764457493 hasConcept C2780876879 @default.
- W764457493 hasConcept C41895202 @default.
- W764457493 hasConcept C94625758 @default.
- W764457493 hasConceptScore W764457493C107038049 @default.
- W764457493 hasConceptScore W764457493C111472728 @default.
- W764457493 hasConceptScore W764457493C138885662 @default.
- W764457493 hasConceptScore W764457493C139621336 @default.
- W764457493 hasConceptScore W764457493C144024400 @default.
- W764457493 hasConceptScore W764457493C15744967 @default.
- W764457493 hasConceptScore W764457493C169760540 @default.
- W764457493 hasConceptScore W764457493C17744445 @default.
- W764457493 hasConceptScore W764457493C199539241 @default.
- W764457493 hasConceptScore W764457493C2776215170 @default.
- W764457493 hasConceptScore W764457493C2777096784 @default.
- W764457493 hasConceptScore W764457493C2777113389 @default.
- W764457493 hasConceptScore W764457493C2778449503 @default.
- W764457493 hasConceptScore W764457493C2780620123 @default.
- W764457493 hasConceptScore W764457493C2780876879 @default.
- W764457493 hasConceptScore W764457493C41895202 @default.
- W764457493 hasConceptScore W764457493C94625758 @default.
- W764457493 hasIssue "1" @default.
- W764457493 hasLocation W7644574931 @default.
- W764457493 hasOpenAccess W764457493 @default.
- W764457493 hasPrimaryLocation W7644574931 @default.
- W764457493 hasRelatedWork W1594164342 @default.
- W764457493 hasRelatedWork W176068556 @default.
- W764457493 hasRelatedWork W1873195628 @default.
- W764457493 hasRelatedWork W1993766612 @default.
- W764457493 hasRelatedWork W2002752638 @default.
- W764457493 hasRelatedWork W2032292918 @default.
- W764457493 hasRelatedWork W2065245213 @default.
- W764457493 hasRelatedWork W2067800491 @default.
- W764457493 hasRelatedWork W2107071089 @default.
- W764457493 hasRelatedWork W2266192330 @default.
- W764457493 hasRelatedWork W2337685178 @default.
- W764457493 hasRelatedWork W2494824188 @default.
- W764457493 hasRelatedWork W2496363863 @default.
- W764457493 hasRelatedWork W2596932976 @default.
- W764457493 hasRelatedWork W285109320 @default.