THE LEAP OF FAITH IN THE SOCIAL SCIENCES
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THE LEAP OF FAITH IN THE SOCIAL SCIENCES
- LikeDislikeThe Leap of Faith in the Social SciencesIn the social sciences, the “leap of faith” is a metaphor for making commitments to ideas, values, or research directions that cannot be fully justified by empirical evidence or logical proof. It draws on Søren Kierkegaard’s existential philosophy, where the leap of faith is a radical, subjective commitment to a belief or principle, even in the face of uncertainty Wikipedia+1.Philosophical rootsKierkegaard, in works like Fear and Trembling and Concluding Unscientific Postscript, argued that reason and skepticism can only go so far. True understanding and moral commitment require a qualitative leap—a decisive inward choice that transcends rational justification Wikipedia+1. This leap is not about abandoning reason, but about using reason to serve a higher commitment, such as faith in God or a moral ideal Wikipedia.In the social sciences, this can be interpreted as:
- Theoretical commitment: Choosing a research framework or paradigm (e.g., postmodernism, critical theory) that may not be empirically verifiable but is philosophically or ethically compelling.
- Value-driven research: Prioritizing ethical or political goals over purely quantitative validation.
- Interpretive methods: Accepting that some social phenomena are best understood through subjective, interpretive lenses rather than purely objective measurement.
- Embracing ambiguity: Accepting that some social realities are inherently complex and cannot be reduced to measurable variables PHILO-notes.
- Challenging the status quo: Acting as a “prophetic voice” in research, questioning dominant paradigms or institutional norms PHILO-notes.
- Transformative potential: Using the leap to inspire new ways of thinking, policy, or social change, even if the outcomes are uncertain PHILO-notes.
- Lack of falsifiability: If a theory or method cannot be tested, it may be difficult to validate or refine.
- Bias and subjectivity: Over-reliance on interpretive or value-based commitments can lead to confirmation bias.
- Reproducibility issues: Without empirical grounding, findings may be less replicable.
- SAGE Journalshttps://journals.sagepub.comThe leap of faith in science hypothesis: The link between secular …Dec 8, 2025 · This research tested the leap of faith hypothesis, suggesting that secular individuals may accept scientific claims based …
- ResearchGatehttps://www.researchgate.netThe Leaps of Faith in Social Science: Study of the Imagined in the …Mar 1, 2007 · In this updated edition of Lakoff and Johnson’s influential book, the authors supply an afterword surveying how their …
- Wikipediahttps://en.wikipedia.org › wikiLeap of faith – Wikipedia
- Overview
- Idiomatic usage
- Background
- Development of concept by Kierkegaard
- Interpretation by other philosophers
- Bibliography
- External links
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- Supplementary Notes on Kierkegaard’s Leap of Faith [1251 L Cfaith Z21 …Take a leap of faith | Leap of faith images, Take the leap of faith …Problem Solving: Finding and Preventing the Source of Performance …Sociological Theories of Power: An OverviewLeapJanuary 2011 – Skepticism, Properly AppliedThe Leap of Faith: Science vs. Religion – YouTube“A Leap in Science and a Step of Faith” – New Book on Christian …Arrupe – leap of faith to El Salvador | myUSFLeap Of Faith BookLeap of Faith Meaning in Life, Love, and Big Decisions
- SAGE Journalshttps://journals.sagepub.comThe Leaps of Faith in Social Science: Study of the Imagined in the …In this section of the paper, I review three social science appropriations of “reality.” These appropriations reflect contemporary …
- University of Albertahttps://sites.ualberta.ca › ~iiqm[PDF]The Leaps of Faith in Social Science: A Study of the Imagined in …She uses a heuristic device, grounded narrative fictions, as one way of depicting the imaginary for ethnographic audiences. The …
- Semantic Scholarhttps://www.semanticscholar.org › paperThe Leaps of Faith in Social Science: Study of the Imagined in the …Mar 1, 2007 · This book fully discusses Schutz’s account of social reality and theory of motivation, including how his phenomenology …
- Frontiershttps://www.frontiersin.org › journals › geneticsA leap of faith: building the trust in human biobanks – FrontiersOct 19, 2023 · Methods: Drawing on the “leap of faith” theory proposed by Georg Simmel and Guido Möllering, this paper first …
- Aish.comhttps://aish.comFaith: the Axis Upon Which the Wheel of Science Turns | AishBeneath every “fact” lies a series of assumptions that cannot be proven. Like it or not, even science requires a leap of faith.
- sorenkierkegaard.nlhttps://www.sorenkierkegaard.nl › artikelen[PDF]Microsoft Word – Morpheus and the Leap of Faith.docBut to become a true “knight of faith” one cannot stop at there. Johannes de silentio tells us that such immense resignation, while a …
- PHILO-noteshttps://philonotes.comKierkegaard’s Concept of the Leap of Faith – PHILO-notesApr 9, 2023 · The concept of the “leap of faith” is one of the most famous and controversial aspects of Kierkegaard’s philosophy. It …
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