Tuesday, 20 January 2009
Measuring Variations
Federica Russo, Catholic University of Louvain, Belgium
12:05 pm, 817R Cathedral of Learning

::: photos

Abstract: Causal analysis in the social sciences takes advantage of a variety of methods and of a multi-fold source of information and evidence. However, despite methodological and evidential pluralism, there is a single rationale of testing regimenting causal reasoning in causal modeling. This rationale, I argue, is based on the notion of variation, rather than regularity of invariance.  To support this claim, I offer empirical, methodological and foundational arguments appealing to both the scientific practice and the philosophical literature.