"Anderson's book stands alone; it's one of a kind. I know of no oth er single text that is as comprehensive
in its treatment of communication theories. The range of the work is remarkable. It is not merely a comprehensive
review of communication theories, it is the way Anderson grounds them in the philosophy of science that is the
noteworthy contribution."
--Leonard C. Hawes, University of Utah
"A smart and innovative text [whose] publication marks a significant departure from naive a nd often simplistic
reviews of the literature....Anderson's metatheoretical position enables an insightful investigation of knowledge
claims in communication studies....Essential reading for all graduate students and scholars who want to understand
contemporary controversies in the field."
--Stanley Deetz, University of Colorado
Guilford Publications Web Site, January, 2001
Summary
This book provides a thorough analysis of the scientific, critical, and cultural questions at the foundation
of theory-building in communication and other social sciences. Any claim to knowledge, the author explains, can
be analyzed in terms of a series of characteristics: the object of its explanation, the explanatory form and evidentiary
method employed, its characteristic explanations, the scope of its performance, and its consequences of value.
From identifying basic epistemological questions to exploring the impact of the "knowledge industry"
on society, the volume offers readers the analytical tools to understand, compare, and evaluate theories and their
use both inside and outside the classroom. The book also includes a systematic analysis of communication's most
influential theories and traces their genealogies across different content fields and disciplines.
Table of Contents
1. On Reading This Book
2. The Nature of the Phenomenal World
3. Our Manner of Engagement of the Phenomenal World
4. The Nature of the Individual
5. The Character of the Justified Argument
6. The Character of the Practical Argument
7. The Relationship between Theory and Method
8. Scholarship in Society
9. Communication Theory Analysis
