Douglas Porpora
Biographic Data
| ID | 286969 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Douglas Porpora |
| GIVEN NAMES | Douglas |
| FAMILY NAME | Porpora |
| SIGNATURE | PORPORA D |
| AFFILIATIONS | Drexel University |
| VERIFIED | No |
| TOTAL WORKS | 14 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 53 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 14 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 1987 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 4 |
Introduction to the special issue commemorating the work of Margaret Archer
This special issue of the Journal of Critical Realism (JCR) is a commemoration of the work and intellectual leadership of Margaret Archer by her associates at the Centre for Social Ontology (CSO)
Response to Tony Lawson: Sociology Versus Economics and Philosophy
Idiographic/Nomothetic
The terms “idiographic” and “nomothetic” mark a distinction that continues to underlie the major explanatory divide that differentiates qualitative and quantitative methods in sociology. The distinction has to do with how human action is better explained: by reference to the sociohistorical particularities motivating actors in a specific situation (i.e., idiographically) or by general laws that hold for all actors similarly situated (i.e., nomoth…
The Sociology of Religious Experience
This essay examines the sociology of religious experience within the broader context of how other disciplines also study the same phenomenon. It explains the principle of methodological atheism sociologists have typically employed in the study of religion, which goes back to Peter Berger's The Sacred Canopy . The principle expressly excludes the possibility that subjects of religious experience may actually be experiencing something real that con…
The Resistible Rise of Sarah Palin: Continuity and Paradox in the American Right Wing 1
Sarah Palin clearly holds a powerful appeal for a right‐wing constituency although even her most fervent followers may doubt that she is electable. This article examines the basis of her appeal. We argue that it can be summed up as an appeal to American authenticity, which consists of several elements: the valorization of small town ordinary life takes second place to faith and religious commitment; an equal faith in American exceptionality impli…
Asia and the Great Financial Crisis
Michael Lim Mah Hui and Lim Chin, Nowhere to Hide: The Great Financial Crisis and Challenges for Asia (Singapore: Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, 2010), 200 pages, $39.90, paperback.Nowhere to Hide by Michael Lim Mah Hui and Lim Chin is another book on the financial crisis, although with added attention to Asia. In addition to the regional implications of the crisis for Asia, what makes this volume different from so many others is its criti…
Contributions to Social Ontology. Edited by Clive Lawson, John Latsis, and Nuno Martins
Agents, Structures and International Relations: Politics as Ontology. By Colin Wight
(2007). Agents, Structures and International Relations: Politics as Ontology. By Colin Wight. Journal of Critical Realism: Vol. 6, No. 2, pp. 305-312
On Elder‐Vass: Refining a Refinement
This paper responds to Dave Elder‐Vass's generally sympathetic critique of Margaret Archer's position on structure and emergence. Elder‐Vass does helpfully emphasize the synchronic effects of structure. Yet, it is argued here, in his treatment of structure, Elder‐Vass tends to concede too much to methodological individualism and to overemphasize social rules at the expense of social relations. Finally, a question is raised about how both Archer a…
Agency and Action. Edited by John Hyman and Helen Steward
Respect in a World of Inequality
Religion, Rationality, and Experience: A Response to the New Rational Choice Theory of Religion
This paper is a critical response to the newest version of the rational choice theory of religion (RCTR). In comparison with previous critiques, this paper takes aim at RCTR's foundational assumption of psychological egoism and argues that the thesis of psychological egoism is untenable. Without that thesis, the normative aspects of religious commitment cannot be reduced validly to instrumental reason. On neither conceptual nor empirical grounds …
The Caterpillar’s Question: Contesting Anti‐Humanism’s Contestations
The caterpillar’s question is the question Wonderland’s caterpillar posed to Alice: Who are you? This is a question Alice finds she cannot answer. According to postmodernist anti‐humanism, Alice cannot answer the question because there is no coherent Alice there to answer it, no unitary subject of consciousness. This paper contests the anti‐humanist denial of a coherent subject of experience. While it is conceded that phenomenologically, we may h…
The political economic factors of migration to Bangkok
Political and economic factors affecting migration to Bangkok from the rest of Thailand are examined. The focus is on migration to the capital from the northeastern region. (ANNOTATION
On Elder‐Vass: Refining a Refinement
This paper responds to Dave Elder‐Vass's generally sympathetic critique of Margaret Archer's position on structure and emergence. Elder‐Vass does helpfully emphasize the synchronic effects of structure. Yet, it is argued here, in his treatment of structure, Elder‐Vass tends to concede too much to methodological individualism and to overemphasize social rules at the expense of social relations. Finally, a question is raised about how both Archer a…
Religion, Rationality, and Experience: A Response to the New Rational Choice Theory of Religion
This paper is a critical response to the newest version of the rational choice theory of religion (RCTR). In comparison with previous critiques, this paper takes aim at RCTR's foundational assumption of psychological egoism and argues that the thesis of psychological egoism is untenable. Without that thesis, the normative aspects of religious commitment cannot be reduced validly to instrumental reason. On neither conceptual nor empirical grounds …
The political economic factors of migration to Bangkok
Political and economic factors affecting migration to Bangkok from the rest of Thailand are examined. The focus is on migration to the capital from the northeastern region. (ANNOTATION
The Resistible Rise of Sarah Palin: Continuity and Paradox in the American Right Wing 1
Sarah Palin clearly holds a powerful appeal for a right‐wing constituency although even her most fervent followers may doubt that she is electable. This article examines the basis of her appeal. We argue that it can be summed up as an appeal to American authenticity, which consists of several elements: the valorization of small town ordinary life takes second place to faith and religious commitment; an equal faith in American exceptionality impli…
The Caterpillar’s Question: Contesting Anti‐Humanism’s Contestations
The caterpillar’s question is the question Wonderland’s caterpillar posed to Alice: Who are you? This is a question Alice finds she cannot answer. According to postmodernist anti‐humanism, Alice cannot answer the question because there is no coherent Alice there to answer it, no unitary subject of consciousness. This paper contests the anti‐humanist denial of a coherent subject of experience. While it is conceded that phenomenologically, we may h…
Response to Tony Lawson: Sociology Versus Economics and Philosophy
Respect in a World of Inequality
The political economic factors of migration to Bangkok
Political and economic factors affecting migration to Bangkok from the rest of Thailand are examined. The focus is on migration to the capital from the northeastern region. (ANNOTATION
The Caterpillar’s Question: Contesting Anti‐Humanism’s Contestations
The caterpillar’s question is the question Wonderland’s caterpillar posed to Alice: Who are you? This is a question Alice finds she cannot answer. According to postmodernist anti‐humanism, Alice cannot answer the question because there is no coherent Alice there to answer it, no unitary subject of consciousness. This paper contests the anti‐humanist denial of a coherent subject of experience. While it is conceded that phenomenologically, we may h…
Religion, Rationality, and Experience: A Response to the New Rational Choice Theory of Religion
This paper is a critical response to the newest version of the rational choice theory of religion (RCTR). In comparison with previous critiques, this paper takes aim at RCTR's foundational assumption of psychological egoism and argues that the thesis of psychological egoism is untenable. Without that thesis, the normative aspects of religious commitment cannot be reduced validly to instrumental reason. On neither conceptual nor empirical grounds …
Agency and Action. Edited by John Hyman and Helen Steward
Respect in a World of Inequality
Agents, Structures and International Relations: Politics as Ontology. By Colin Wight
(2007). Agents, Structures and International Relations: Politics as Ontology. By Colin Wight. Journal of Critical Realism: Vol. 6, No. 2, pp. 305-312
On Elder‐Vass: Refining a Refinement
This paper responds to Dave Elder‐Vass's generally sympathetic critique of Margaret Archer's position on structure and emergence. Elder‐Vass does helpfully emphasize the synchronic effects of structure. Yet, it is argued here, in his treatment of structure, Elder‐Vass tends to concede too much to methodological individualism and to overemphasize social rules at the expense of social relations. Finally, a question is raised about how both Archer a…
Contributions to Social Ontology. Edited by Clive Lawson, John Latsis, and Nuno Martins
The Resistible Rise of Sarah Palin: Continuity and Paradox in the American Right Wing 1
Sarah Palin clearly holds a powerful appeal for a right‐wing constituency although even her most fervent followers may doubt that she is electable. This article examines the basis of her appeal. We argue that it can be summed up as an appeal to American authenticity, which consists of several elements: the valorization of small town ordinary life takes second place to faith and religious commitment; an equal faith in American exceptionality impli…
Asia and the Great Financial Crisis
Michael Lim Mah Hui and Lim Chin, Nowhere to Hide: The Great Financial Crisis and Challenges for Asia (Singapore: Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, 2010), 200 pages, $39.90, paperback.Nowhere to Hide by Michael Lim Mah Hui and Lim Chin is another book on the financial crisis, although with added attention to Asia. In addition to the regional implications of the crisis for Asia, what makes this volume different from so many others is its criti…
The Sociology of Religious Experience
This essay examines the sociology of religious experience within the broader context of how other disciplines also study the same phenomenon. It explains the principle of methodological atheism sociologists have typically employed in the study of religion, which goes back to Peter Berger's The Sacred Canopy . The principle expressly excludes the possibility that subjects of religious experience may actually be experiencing something real that con…
Response to Tony Lawson: Sociology Versus Economics and Philosophy
Idiographic/Nomothetic
The terms “idiographic” and “nomothetic” mark a distinction that continues to underlie the major explanatory divide that differentiates qualitative and quantitative methods in sociology. The distinction has to do with how human action is better explained: by reference to the sociohistorical particularities motivating actors in a specific situation (i.e., idiographically) or by general laws that hold for all actors similarly situated (i.e., nomoth…
Introduction to the special issue commemorating the work of Margaret Archer
This special issue of the Journal of Critical Realism (JCR) is a commemoration of the work and intellectual leadership of Margaret Archer by her associates at the Centre for Social Ontology (CSO)
Sociology (10 works) · Epistemology (7 works) · Philosophy (7 works) · Political science (6 works) · Law (5 works) · Philosophy (5 works) · Psychology (5 works) · Contemporary Sociological Theory and Practice (4 works) · Computer Science (3 works) · Critical Realism in Sociology (3 works)