A note on the main ideas of Talcott Parsons, Max Weber and Émile Durkheim on ontology and epistemology for MBA and Housing Studies students (information from perplexity.ai)
My question 1: "What are the main ideas of Talcott Parsons, Max Weber and Émile Durkheim on ontology and epistemology, with reference to the field of contemporary Research Methods in Social Science?"
The reply: "The main ideas of Talcott Parsons, Max Weber, and Émile Durkheim on ontology and epistemology, particularly in relation to contemporary research methods in social science, can be summarized as follows:
Talcott Parsons
Ontology: Parsons adopts an analytical realist ontology, viewing social reality as a system composed of interrelated parts—cultural, social, and personality systems—that interact through shared values and norms. He sees social action as meaningful because actors operate within a framework of common value-orientations and cultural patterns, which bind individuals into a social system. This social system is relatively autonomous from material conditions and environmental factors, emphasizing the role of shared meanings and values in constituting social reality12.
Epistemology: Parsons’s epistemology is rooted in a form of analytical realism that anticipates later constructivist perspectives. He emphasizes the importance of theoretical schemes to identify significant aspects of social reality and uncover patterns ("what goes with what"). His approach integrates systems theory, complexity, and cybernetics, suggesting that knowledge is developed through recursive communication networks within scientific systems. Parsons's work bridges realism and constructivism by recognizing both the objective structures of social systems and the constructed nature of knowledge about them2.
Max Weber
Ontology: Weber distinguishes sharply between the natural and social worlds. He views social reality as composed of meaningful social actions driven by subjective intentions and values. Social phenomena are not reducible to natural laws because they involve human meanings and value orientations. Thus, social reality is characterized by interpretive, value-laden interactions rather than deterministic causal laws34.
Epistemology: Weber rejects the natural scientific model of universal laws for social sciences and argues that complete objectivity is impossible because researchers are part of the social world they study and inevitably bring their own values. However, he proposes "value-relevance" (Wertbeziehung), where researchers explicitly acknowledge their value orientations to achieve a qualified objectivity. He introduces the concept of "ideal-types" as heuristic tools to understand and interpret social phenomena, balancing the particularity of cases with the need for theoretical generalization. His epistemology is interpretive, emphasizing understanding (Verstehen) of subjective meanings while maintaining logical consistency and empirical rigor34.
Émile Durkheim
Ontology: Durkheim posits that social facts—ways of acting, thinking, and feeling external to the individual—have an objective reality independent of individual consciousness. Social facts exert coercive power over individuals and constitute the social world. He treats society as a reality sui generis, with its own properties that can be studied scientifically, akin to natural phenomena5.
Epistemology: Durkheim advocates a positivist epistemology for sociology, insisting that social facts must be studied empirically and objectively, using methods similar to those in the natural sciences. He emphasizes the importance of systematic observation and the sociological method to uncover the laws governing social phenomena. Knowledge is gained through the scientific study of institutions and collective representations, treating social facts as things that can be measured and analyzed objectively5.
Summary Table
|
Thinker |
Ontology |
Epistemology |
Relation
to Contemporary Research Methods |
|
Talcott
Parsons |
Social systems
as structured by shared values and norms; analytical realism with system
complexity |
Analytical
realism anticipating constructivism; theoretical schemes to identify patterns |
Influences
systems theory, complexity, and constructivist approaches in social research |
|
Max
Weber |
Social
reality as meaningful social actions shaped by subjective values |
Interpretive
epistemology; value-relevance; ideal-types as heuristic tools |
Foundation
for interpretive methods, reflexivity, and value-aware qualitative research |
|
Emile
Durkheim |
Social
facts as objective realities external to individuals |
Positivist
epistemology; empirical and objective study of social facts |
Basis
for positivist and empirical methods in sociology, emphasizing objectivity
and measurement |
These foundational ideas continue to influence contemporary social science research methods, shaping debates on the nature of social reality and the role of values and interpretation in knowledge production. Parsons’s systems perspective informs complexity and constructivist approaches; Weber’s interpretive framework underpins qualitative and reflexive methodologies; and Durkheim’s positivism supports empirical, quantitative, and institutional analyses."
My question 2: "Please discuss the topic with reference to the dissertation project tasks of (1) business management and (2) housing studies?"
The reply: "When applying the ontological and epistemological ideas of Talcott Parsons, Max Weber, and Émile Durkheim to dissertation projects in (1) business management and (2) housing studies, their foundational perspectives shape how researchers conceptualize reality and knowledge in these fields, guiding research design, methodology, and interpretation.
1. Business Management Dissertation Projects
Talcott Parsons
Ontology: Parsons views organizations as complex social systems where coordinated actions are guided by shared norms and values. In business management research, this means seeing firms as systems of interrelated parts (e.g., strategy, structure, culture) that maintain stability through value consensus and coordination12.
Epistemology: Parsons’s analytical realism supports using theoretical frameworks to identify patterns and relationships within organizational systems. Research often adopts a deductive approach, testing hypotheses about coordination, planning, and control processes, while acknowledging the constructed nature of managerial knowledge32.
Implications: A dissertation might focus on how managerial roles balance innovation and routine coordination, reflecting Parsons’s ambiguity on entrepreneurship versus supervision1. The research could employ mixed methods, combining quantitative system analysis with qualitative insights into shared values and communication patterns.
Max Weber
Ontology: Weber’s ontology emphasizes meaningful social action driven by subjective intentions and values. In management, this translates into understanding managers and employees as actors whose decisions are influenced by their beliefs, goals, and rationalities4.
Epistemology: Weber’s interpretive epistemology encourages qualitative methods such as case studies and interviews to grasp the subjective meanings behind managerial behavior. The use of ideal-types helps construct theoretical models of organizational roles or decision-making styles4.
Implications: A dissertation could explore how managers’ value orientations affect strategic choices, or how organizational culture shapes employee behavior. Reflexivity about the researcher’s own values and biases is important, aligning with Weber’s emphasis on value-relevance.
Émile Durkheim
Ontology: Durkheim’s ontology of social facts as objective realities external to individuals supports studying organizational structures, rules, and norms as measurable entities influencing behavior3.
Epistemology: Positivist and empirical methods dominate, such as surveys and statistical analysis, to uncover causal relationships between organizational variables (e.g., leadership styles and performance)3.
Implications: A dissertation might quantitatively analyze how formal policies affect employee outcomes, treating organizational phenomena as “things” to be objectively studied.
2. Housing Studies Dissertation Projects
Talcott Parsons
Ontology: Parsons’s system theory can frame housing as part of a broader social system involving economic, cultural, and institutional subsystems. Housing practices and policies are coordinated actions embedded in shared societal values about home, community, and social order2.
Epistemology: Research might focus on identifying systemic patterns in housing markets or policy impacts, using theoretical models to understand how different elements (e.g., regulation, social norms) interact to produce housing outcomes2.
Implications: A dissertation could analyze coordination mechanisms in housing policy implementation or the role of cultural values in shaping housing preferences.
Max Weber
Ontology: Weber’s concept of “life chances” is highly relevant in housing studies, emphasizing how individuals’ access to housing reflects broader social stratification and subjective experiences of opportunity and exclusion5.
Epistemology: Interpretive approaches are used to understand residents’ perspectives, experiences of neighborhood effects, and the social meanings attached to housing. Ideal-types may be employed to conceptualize different housing market actors or policy regimes5.
Implications: Research could examine how housing policies affect marginalized groups’ life chances or how residents interpret and respond to neighborhood change, incorporating qualitative interviews and case studies.
Émile Durkheim
Ontology: Durkheim’s social facts perspective supports treating housing patterns, laws, and institutional arrangements as objective phenomena influencing individual behavior and social cohesion5.
Epistemology: Empirical, positivist methods such as census data analysis or spatial statistics are used to study housing segregation, mobility, and neighborhood effects objectively5.
Implications: A dissertation might quantitatively assess the impact of housing policies on social integration or measure neighborhood effects on residents’ socioeconomic outcomes.
Summary Table: Application to Dissertation Tasks
|
Thinker |
Business
Management Focus |
Housing
Studies Focus |
|
Parsons |
Organizations as coordinated social
systems; deductive and systemic analysis of managerial roles and coordination |
Housing as part of social systems;
systemic analysis of policy coordination and cultural values in housing |
|
Weber |
Interpretive study of managerial
action, values, and decision-making; use of ideal-types and reflexivity |
Life chances and subjective
experiences in housing access; interpretive methods to understand
neighborhood effects |
In conclusion, these classical sociological perspectives provide rich ontological and epistemological foundations for contemporary dissertation projects in business management and housing studies. Parsons’s systemic and value-oriented approach informs research on organizational coordination and housing systems; Weber’s interpretive framework highlights the importance of subjective meanings and life chances; and Durkheim’s positivist stance supports empirical, objective analysis of social structures and housing phenomena. Researchers can select and combine these perspectives to suit their specific research questions and methodological preferences."
My question 3: "With reference to the research theme of "how to improve e-banking customer service with AI in Hong Kong", how would our discussion will influence the formulation of an MBA dissertation project research objectives?"
The reply: "When formulating an MBA dissertation project on the theme "how to improve e-banking customer service with AI in Hong Kong," the ontological and epistemological perspectives of Talcott Parsons, Max Weber, and Émile Durkheim, as discussed earlier, can significantly influence the research objectives by shaping what is studied (ontology) and how knowledge about it is acquired (epistemology). Here is how these perspectives can guide the formulation of research objectives:
Influence on Research Objectives Formulation
From Talcott Parsons’s Perspective
Ontology: Viewing e-banking customer service as a complex social system where various actors (customers, bank employees, AI systems) interact through shared norms and expectations about service quality and trust.
Epistemology: Emphasizing theoretical frameworks to identify patterns and relationships in how AI integration affects coordination and satisfaction within this system.
Research Objective Implication:
To analyze how the integration of AI in e-banking customer service aligns with existing organizational values and customer expectations in Hong Kong.
To identify systemic factors that facilitate or hinder effective AI-enabled service coordination.
This aligns with Parsons’s analytical realism and systems theory, encouraging an objective yet theoretically informed investigation of the social system of e-banking services1.
From Max Weber’s Perspective
Ontology: Emphasizing the subjective meanings and intentions of customers and bank staff regarding AI use in service delivery, recognizing that these actors interpret and respond to AI differently.
Epistemology: Employing interpretive methods to understand these meanings, using ideal-types (e.g., types of customer attitudes towards AI) as heuristic tools.
Research Objective Implication:
To explore customer and employee perceptions and value orientations towards AI in e-banking customer service in Hong Kong.
To understand how these subjective meanings influence acceptance and satisfaction with AI-enabled services.
This supports qualitative, interpretive research objectives that acknowledge the value-laden nature of social action and the need for reflexivity in understanding AI’s role2.
From Émile Durkheim’s Perspective
Ontology: Treating AI integration and customer service processes as social facts—objective phenomena external to individuals that shape behavior and outcomes.
Epistemology: Advocating empirical, positivist methods to measure the impact of AI on service efficiency, customer satisfaction, and behavioral outcomes.
Research Objective Implication:
To empirically assess the effects of AI implementation on measurable customer service outcomes in Hong Kong e-banking.
To identify causal relationships between AI features and customer satisfaction metrics.
This encourages quantitative objectives focused on objective measurement and causal analysis, consistent with Durkheim’s positivism3.
Practical Application for Your MBA Dissertation
Define clear research objectives reflecting these ontological and epistemological stances. For example, you might combine Parsons’s systemic view with Weber’s interpretive insights to formulate mixed-method objectives:
"To investigate how AI-enabled e-banking services coordinate with organizational values and customer expectations (systemic analysis) and to explore customer and employee perceptions of AI service quality (interpretive study)."
Select methodologies consistent with these objectives. Quantitative surveys or usage data analysis for Durkheim-inspired objectives; interviews or focus groups for Weberian interpretive objectives; system mapping or network analysis for Parsonsian systemic objectives.
Reflect on your own philosophical assumptions. As highlighted in management research methodology literature, being explicit about your ontological and epistemological positions strengthens the coherence and rigor of your research design and evaluation criteria2.
In sum, integrating these classical sociological perspectives into your MBA dissertation on improving e-banking customer service with AI in Hong Kong enriches the formulation of research objectives by clarifying what aspects of social reality you study and how you justify knowledge claims about them. This leads to a more philosophically informed, methodologically coherent, and contextually relevant research project."
My question 4: "With reference to the research theme of "how does covid-19 affects Hong Kong gen z's views on home ownership in 2025", how would our discussion will influence the formulation of a Housing Studies dissertation project research objectives?"
The reply: "For a Housing Studies dissertation on the theme "how does COVID-19 affect Hong Kong Gen Z's views on home ownership in 2025," the ontological and epistemological insights from Parsons, Weber, and Durkheim, combined with recent empirical data on Gen Z and housing in Hong Kong, can guide the formulation of precise, philosophically grounded research objectives.
Influence of Sociological Perspectives on Research Objectives
Talcott Parsons (Systemic and Value-Oriented Ontology)
Ontology: Housing preferences and home ownership attitudes among Gen Z are part of a broader social system involving economic conditions, cultural values, and institutional policies shaped by COVID-19’s disruption.
Epistemology: Use theoretical frameworks to identify systemic patterns in how pandemic-induced changes (e.g., economic uncertainty, remote work) influence Gen Z’s housing aspirations and behaviors.
Research Objective Example:
To analyze how COVID-19 has altered the systemic relationship between economic factors, cultural values, and Gen Z’s home ownership aspirations in Hong Kong.
Max Weber (Interpretive and Subjective Meaning)
Ontology: Emphasizes understanding Gen Z’s subjective experiences and meanings attached to home ownership post-COVID, including how the pandemic shapes their perceptions of security, investment, and life chances.
Epistemology: Employ qualitative methods to explore diverse attitudes and value orientations within Gen Z regarding housing.
Research Objective Example:
To explore how Gen Z in Hong Kong interpret and make sense of home ownership in the context of COVID-19’s social and economic impacts.
Émile Durkheim (Positivist and Social Facts)
Ontology: Treats housing market data, policy changes, and economic indicators as objective social facts that influence Gen Z’s housing decisions.
Epistemology: Employ quantitative methods to empirically assess correlations between COVID-19’s economic impact and Gen Z’s home ownership intentions.
Research Objective Example:
To empirically evaluate the impact of COVID-19-related economic changes on Gen Z’s ability and willingness to pursue home ownership in Hong Kong.
Integration with Current Empirical Context
Gen Z in Hong Kong represents about 11% of the population, faces significant financial impact from COVID-19 (76% report income effects), and exhibits cautious but renewed confidence in property buying despite challenges15.
The housing market is recovering but remains highly unaffordable, with government measures easing financing yet potentially increasing prices, complicating home ownership for young buyers27.
Studies show COVID-19 has influenced young people’s housing preferences, with shifts toward flexibility, remote work suitability, and health concerns6.
Gen Z’s online presence and financial behaviors (e.g., use of credit plans) also shape their housing decisions1.
Suggested Research Objectives for the Dissertation
- To investigate how COVID-19 has influenced the economic circumstances and financial confidence of Hong Kong’s Gen Z regarding home ownership.(Durkheim’s focus on objective social facts and empirical measurement)
- To explore the subjective meanings and attitudes of Gen Z toward home ownership post-COVID-19, including perceived risks, aspirations, and lifestyle changes.(Weber’s interpretive approach emphasizing understanding of social action and meaning)
- To analyze the systemic interaction between government housing policies, market dynamics, and Gen Z’s housing preferences in the post-pandemic context.(Parsons’s systemic view on social coordination and value alignment)
- To assess how shifts in cultural values and social norms among Gen Z, accelerated by the pandemic, affect their housing choices and long-term plans.(Parsons and Weber combined: systemic and interpretive dimensions)
A collection of blog notes on using chatgpt for research purpose.
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