Download - HSRC Press

to indicate a causal relationship between the programme, and attainment. It istherefore clear that the fundamental principle of explanatory research is also tobe found in evaluative research.The two major types of research design by means of which causality may beindicated are experimental and quasi-experimental designs (see the discussionof research designs at the end of chapter 5).Free download from www.hsrcpress.ac.zaSOME PHILOSOPHICAL REMARKS ON CAUSALITYThus far we have discussed causality only within the limits imposed by highlystructured and controlled research contexts. The meaning of causality in socialsciences research is, however, a very complex issue. There are few socialscientists who would regard causality as a synonym for physical or naturalcausality. A characteristic of the approach adopted in the natural sciences isthat it is accepted that causality may only be defined in terms of an underlyingnatural law. Philosophers of science who adhered to the logical positivistictradition were inclined to believe that whatever it was that caused events tooccur in conjunction with each other as if they were causally related, should beexplained in terms of the existence of laws of nature. This point of view led tothe well-known deductive-nomological model of scientific explanation asexplicated by Carl Hempel.Critics of the positivistic tradition argued that similar laws had yet to bediscovered in the social sciences. They concluded that the existence of causalrelationships in the social sciences could not be inferred. The debate in thephilosophy of science on this topic is far too complicated to discuss it in detailin this book. Basically it amounts to adopting a point of view in favour of theexistence of causality in the explanation of human behaviour, as opposed to apoint of view which denies the existence of causality and which has its roots ina form of voluntarism. Those who adhere to the latter point of view assumethat because human activity is free it cannot be explained by postulating causalrelationships. Nonetheless, a third point of view has developed in recentphilosophy of the social sciences (see the work of Bhaskar and Simon in thereference list). The fundamental postulate of this point of view is that causalityforms part of human activities but without necessarily accepting the existenceof an underlying law of nature.A powerful justification for this point of view is presented by Michael Simon:The fact that one particular occurrence is what made the difference in oneparticular case does not imply that it would have made a difference inother, similar cases. Causality does not have to entail determinism. .. Wedo not have to accept determinism to the extent that we believe that causesand effects are identifiable as repeatable types. But the fact that causaluniformities must be presupposed in order for particular causal claims to46