Author Description

To what extent do the social sciences influence as well as measure the shifts in contemporary Irish culture? Can conceptual measurements issues be value free? Can a Christian ethic inform the work of the social sciences? Do the social sciences have a role in facilitating society to discern issues surrounding values and beliefs? Is there scope for a religious assessment of the issues studied by the social sciences?Measuring Ireland: Discerning Values and Beliefs emerges from a symposium organized to explore these issues. Part one, Measuring Ireland: Discerning the Religious Profile of Irish Society, comprises essays that measure religious values and beliefs in contemporary Ireland. Part two, Measuring Ireland: Discerning the Ethical World of the Social Sciences, reflects upon the presuppositions of the social sciences, the value judgments that social scientists bring to bear upon their work, and some methodical issues that arise from qualitative research.Including contributions from Tony Fahey, Conor K. Ward, Michael Breen, Margaret Archer, Tom Inglis, Perry Share, David Tuohy, Ed Carroll and Eoin G. Cassidy, Measuring Ireland: Discerning Values and Beliefs is published in conjunction with the Irish Centre for Faith and Culture.ABOUT THE EDITOREoin G. Cassidy is Registrar and Head of the Philosophy Department at the Mater Dei Institute, a college of Dublin City University. He is a member of the Irish Commission for Justice and Social Affairs ICJSAs role is to support the Irish Bishops Conference in promoting the social teaching of the Catholic Church and advise on issues of social concern. He has published widely in the area of faith and culture and is editor of Faith and Culture in the Irish Context (1996) and Prosperity with a Purpose: What Purpose? (2000) amongst others.