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The Romantic Retreat Is Not Club Med

Research on Social Work Practice

Published online on

Abstract

"Feminist standpoint epistemology" is not a serious philosophy but a romantic evasion of the application of science to social services. There are numerous limitations to the application of the scientific method to the practice of social work and the social services. Nonetheless, a pragmatic approach to understanding social reality and the evaluation of social interventions is more desirable than feminist standpoint epistemology. Yet the romantic dominates social work and social decision-making in the United States and may explain the precipitous decline of social work over the past century. Indeed, much should be said for closing down social work education and the field itself in order to try an alternative that might better serve people in need.