Abstract
Conflict resolution deals with the conflictual behavioral relations of human beings and how these are best resolved. As such, it is classified as a social science. I would hope, however, that those of us who consider ourselves to be working within this field do not consider it a typical social science, one subject to the arguments, problems and controversies that characterize traditional social science. In particular, I would caution against the acceptance of the dichotomy between fact and value which defines contemporary mainstream social science, and which has led to an overemphasis upon quantitative methods in the name of an objectivity which is at best suspect. Conflict resolution should be a normative discipline; it should be prescriptive.
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Notes and References
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© 1990 John Burton
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Scimecca, J.A. (1990). Self-reflexivity and Freedom: Toward a Prescriptive Theory of Conflict Resolution. In: Burton, J. (eds) Conflict: Human Needs Theory. The Conflict Series. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-21000-8_10
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-21000-8_10
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