Author Description

Combining the talents of a culturally diverse, international group of scholars, this important volume critically examines the most significant strands in the ongoing debate surrounding lay theories. The main focus is with people's everyday understanding of the world, and more directly, their understandings of themselves and others. Contributors explore the status and origins of lay understandings, how they are generated, how they are assessed, and how they influence or insinuate themselves into science. They also discuss whether or not it is appropriate to value scientific theorizing above lay theorizing. Lastly, they answer fundamental questions about the nature of language, cognition, culture, and the foundations of social and scientific knowledge. "Editors Semin and Gergen strike a balance between the specific and the general.... Everyday Understanding: Social and Scientific Implications will appeal to readers who support a multiplicity of approaches or even support an alternative to the experimental method.... The series itself is a welcome scientific contribution, and Everyday Understanding: Social and Scientific Implications is an excellent addition to the series and admirably realizes many of the goals of the series.... Although readers may sometimes disagree with particular conclusions or arguments made by the authors, the questions raised and the discussions of the issues are intriguing, and scientific understanding may be increased by exploring such issues.... The editors succeed in their goal of presenting a range of views and contributing to the current debate about lay theories and their relation to scientific theories." --Contemporary Psychology