The inclusion of deductive methods and relationships to strengthen theory in social sciences

Abstract

The development of the social sciences faces complex challenges that include choosing the appropriate methodology and theoretical development to address its objects of study. To help face these challenges, the broad recognition that a general criterion for accepting or rejecting theories consists of considering their capacity to account for social phenomena is taken as a starting point. This work aims to show that developing theories that allow us to understand social phenomena requires incorporating deductive methods. The incorporation of such methods will strengthen theories in the social sciences and provide tools to solve some of their most pressing problems. To this end, it is shown how incorporating deductive derivations can contribute to solving the crisis of the lack of theoretical development in social sciences. Next, arguments are presented from the philosophy of science that shows how the incorporation of deductive methods and relationships in theories contributes to their strengthening. Recognizing the need to complement these methods with pluralistic epistemological approaches, which allow addressing the diversity and complexity of dimensions presented by social problems and phenomena, we respond to several criticisms directed at the use of deductive methods in empirical sciences in general and the scientific social in particular.