Citation

Nolan PD, Triplett J, McDonough S. Am. Sociol. 2010; 41(3): 292-305.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2010, Holtzbrinck Springer Nature Publishing Group)

DOI

10.1007/s12108-010-9099-5

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

For decades Durkheim's theory of suicide has been tested and found wanting. Yet, rather than being consigned to the dust-bin of history, it lives on and is pointed to as an exemplar of the powers of sociological theory and research. If this rationalizing and/or dismissal of so many falsifications of the theory were an isolated phenomenon, it might be evidence of some lemming-like propensity for suicide or a disciplinary death-wish, among a few sociologists. But it appears to be a much more widespread and common occurrence. In this paper we explore some possible explanations of this 'falsification denial'-'The Social Misconstruction of Reality' (Hamilton 1996), 'When Prophecy Fails' (Festinger et al. 1956), 'Underdetermination' (Duhem 1954; Quine Journal of Philosophy 67:178-183, 1970, Erkenntnis 9:313-328, 1975; Lakatos 1970), and 'Boundary Maintenance' (Erikson 1966), and we outline some of the more important and pernicious consequences of this falsification denial for the discipline and future of sociology. © 2010 Springer Science + Business Media, LLC.

Language: en

Keywords

Suicide; Durkheim; Fallibilism; Falsification; Sociology of Science