It was fun! I do it to learn more from graduate students' research projects and to push me to think systematically about theorizing. It is my "research gym", the only gym I'm decent at. I prepared a handout and slides (but I forgot to use them. Here some thoughts on theorizing. https://t.co/0tCBllllZh

“By theorizing I mean the process that comes before a theory is presented in its final form” Swedberg 2016, 7

“Although everyone is for "more theory," most of us have rather little understanding of how to get "more theory”.”
Dina A. Zinnes, 1980, 315
How do we shape, draft and calibrate our theory? It is assumed we learn about theorizing via emulation, comparison and practice. Theorizing is a process and we should not confound it with the outcome(a theory). There are pre-theoretical steps/tips that can facilitate the process.
Caveats: this is my way to help theorising. These suggestions are just a theorizing “banister”, nothing more. You will have to climb the stairs for your theory.
What we're aiming at: a theory is a tentative conjecture about the cause of some phenomenon of interest. Logical statement based on assumptions that explain a causal mechanism from which we can derive observable hypotheses and therefore expectations.
"Analytical Thinking": Simplifying should not be oversimplification but can help us to navigate the complexity of the social reality. Only from a simple framework we can start then adding items. Theorizing is like cooking, it easy to add elements but hard then to remove them.
Start with:

a. Clear/sharp research question. For help see my piece with @adammccauley on research questions.

b. You define your actors and level(s) of analyses: who they are? Why? What are their interdependencies? What could be alternative levels of analysis or actors?
c. Define and link to relevant literature your core concepts:
•What are the core concepts of your theory (DV, IVs, and mechanisms).
•Define them succinctly.
•Explain what are “adjacent” but not “correct” concepts.
•Explain what alternative important concepts could be
Who are the actors, their arenas and their interactions and interdependencies? My. friend and colleague @egocantos wrote very useful in order to think systematically about: actors, space of actions and interactions.
"To explain an event is to give an account of why it happened...this takes the form of citing an earlier event as the cause or the event we want to explain . [But] to cite the cause is not enough: the causal mechanism must also be provided, or at least suggested." Elster (1989,3)
I use some examples from my recent book, "Composing Peace" w/ @_vincenzobove & @ruffa_chiara on, first, using tables to present mechanism and also drawing theory based on the Coleman's boat diagram.
We aim to explain what is the "story" (as Dina Zinnes'd say) on how X affects Y.
An exercise I suggest is to draw a theory using different modalities (2X2 Matrix, Coleman's diagram, Sequencing graphs). It is important to specify actors, relations , core phenomena. But also try to draw other people theories.
Another exercise to learn how to play with theorizing and mechanism building is to "simulate findings" between X & Y and explain them!
A checklist for start theorizing & link to my workshop handout. Of course, this is not a "general fixer" and it is a hands-on workshop focusing on research projects presented by phd students. But I hope this could somehow help also other graduate students. https://t.co/nep9UYeoee

More from Society

global health policy in 2020 has centered around NPI's (non-pharmaceutical interventions) like distancing, masks, school closures

these have been sold as a way to stop infection as though this were science.

this was never true and that fact was known and knowable.

let's look.


above is the plot of social restriction and NPI vs total death per million. there is 0 R2. this means that the variables play no role in explaining one another.

we can see this same relationship between NPI and all cause deaths.

this is devastating to the case for NPI.


clearly, correlation is not proof of causality, but a total lack of correlation IS proof that there was no material causality.

barring massive and implausible coincidence, it's essentially impossible to cause something and not correlate to it, especially 51 times.

this would seem to pose some very serious questions for those claiming that lockdowns work, those basing policy upon them, and those claiming this is the side of science.

there is no science here nor any data. this is the febrile imaginings of discredited modelers.

this has been clear and obvious from all over the world since the beginning and had been proven so clearly by may that it's hard to imagine anyone who is actually conversant with the data still believing in these responses.

everyone got the same R

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THE MEANING, SIGNIFICANCE AND HISTORY OF SWASTIK

The Swastik is a geometrical figure and an ancient religious icon. Swastik has been Sanatan Dharma’s symbol of auspiciousness – mangalya since time immemorial.


The name swastika comes from Sanskrit (Devanagari: स्वस्तिक, pronounced: swastik) &denotes “conducive to wellbeing or auspicious”.
The word Swastik has a definite etymological origin in Sanskrit. It is derived from the roots su – meaning “well or auspicious” & as meaning “being”.


"सु अस्ति येन तत स्वस्तिकं"
Swastik is de symbol through which everything auspicios occurs

Scholars believe word’s origin in Vedas,known as Swasti mantra;

"🕉स्वस्ति ना इन्द्रो वृधश्रवाहा
स्वस्ति ना पूषा विश्ववेदाहा
स्वस्तिनास्तरक्ष्यो अरिश्तनेमिही
स्वस्तिनो बृहस्पतिर्दधातु"


It translates to," O famed Indra, redeem us. O Pusha, the beholder of all knowledge, redeem us. Redeem us O Garudji, of limitless speed and O Bruhaspati, redeem us".

SWASTIK’s COSMIC ORIGIN

The Swastika represents the living creation in the whole Cosmos.


Hindu astronomers divide the ecliptic circle of cosmos in 27 divisions called
https://t.co/sLeuV1R2eQ this manner a cross forms in 4 directions in the celestial sky. At centre of this cross is Dhruva(Polestar). In a line from Dhruva, the stars known as Saptarishi can be observed.