Summary:
Revisiting Myrdal’s ‘solution’ to the problem of value-bias
Recognition of the phenomena of rationalization and mystification as the effects of unconscious interference enables us to pinpoint the error in an influential ‘solution’ to the problem of ‘value-bias’, authorized inter alia by Myrdal. On this solution, recognizing that value-neutrality is impossible, all the social scientist needs to do is state his or her own value assumptions fully and explicitly at the beginning of some piece of work so as to put the reader (and possibly also the writer) on their guard. It is not difficult to see that this solution begs the question. For it presupposes that X knows what his or her values are; that is, it presupposes that s/he has the kind of knowledge about
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Theory of Science & Methodology
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Revisiting Myrdal’s ‘solution’ to the problem of value-bias
Recognition of the phenomena of rationalization and mystification as the effects of unconscious interference enables us to pinpoint the error in an influential ‘solution’ to the problem of ‘value-bias’, authorized inter alia by Myrdal. On this solution, recognizing that value-neutrality is impossible, all the social scientist needs to do is state his or her own value assumptions fully and explicitly at the beginning of some piece of work so as to put the reader (and possibly also the writer) on their guard. It is not difficult to see that this solution begs the question. For it presupposes that X knows what his or her values are; that is, it presupposes that s/he has the kind of knowledge about him- or herself that ex hypothesi, in virtue of unconscious interference, s/he cannot have about society. Now for X to have such knowledge about him- or herself, s/he would have had to become fully conscious of the formerly unconscious mode of interference, in which case a statement of value assumptions is unnecessary, because objectivity is now possible. Conversely, if X is not conscious of the (unconscious) mode of interference, then any statement of his or her (professed) value assumptions will be worthless. Moreover, one cannot say in general whether any such statement will be more or less misleading. (Thus consider, for instance, what often follows professions of the kind ‘I’m not prejudiced about . . .’ or ‘I’m a tolerant sort of person/true liberal/good democrat . . .’) Mutatis mutandis, similar considerations apply in the case of conscious and semi-conscious modes of interference: avowals are either unnecessary or potentially misleading.
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