Ontology Epistemology Methodology

The foundations on which political scientists work are their ontological and
epistemological positions. They are not always spelt out and are rather implicit
than explicit, but show themselves in the matter of methodology and approach.
To Marsh and Furlong (2002) these stances a political scientist takes are pivotal
to his research, as they shape the approach to theory and the methods
utilised; and they are grounded deeply in the researchers beliefs about the world,
resulting in the effect that the positions taken on these issues cannot possibly be
changed: They are like a skin not a sweater: they cannot be put on or taken off
whenever the researcher sees fit.1 We will see further down if this argument
could not be challenged. Ontology is the science or theory of being. It concerns
the question of how the world is built: is there a real world o