Sociology Of Religion Paradigm Shift: The Paradigm Connotation Of A Multi-level Analysis And Interpretation Of The Meaning Of "transformation"

Paradigm shift is one of the front issues in the field of sociology of religion. Along with the rise of rational choice paradigm, scholars began to analyze its influences to sociology of religion. However, various scholars' analysis always bases on their specific academic training and substantial research, which results in a vague conception of paradigm shift. Therefore, it is significant to analyze this topic on the methodological level.Concretely, this thesis intends to answer three questions: First, in order to clarify the concept of paradigm shift, this thesis integrates different views about paradigm shift with a basic methodological theory, which also brings about a clarified conception of paradigm shift. Second, from a specific level of paradigm, this thesis analyzes the concrete contents of old and new paradigms. Third, this thesis intends to make certain of the characteristic of the term" shift". Does it mean substitution, integration or just adding another choice?As to the first question, I consult the theories of paradigm from Thomas Kuhn and Masterman, and systematically categorize three typical paradigm shift theories-Steve Warner's, Laurence R. Iannaccone's and Yang Fenggang's- separately into the artifact paradigm, sociological paradigm and meta-paradigm. In this way, this thesis integrates different paradigm shift theories into a uniform academic frame and offers a clarified conception and definition of paradigm shift.As to the second question, I discourse on the contents of old and new paradigms. On the level of sociological paradigm, Laurence R. Iannaccone proposes the new paradigm as the rational choice paradigm, but he does not specifically refer to the old paradigm. After scrutinizing traditional studies in sociology of religion, I abstracted two main paradigm, the old paradigms-structuralism/institutionalism and hermeneutics. Therefore, the sociological paradigm shift in the religion research is from structuralism/institutionalism and hermeneutics to rational choice theory.As to the third question, I propose three assumptions: adding diversification, integration and substitution, which separately means the relationship between old and new paradigms is juxtaposition, partially integration without absorbing and completely absorption. The prevalence of rational choice paradigm demonstrates the assumption of adding diversification is invalid. Then, from the structure and logic of rational choice paradigm, this thesis analyzes the trend that rational choice paradigm integrates structuralism/institutionalism and hermeneutics. However, integration results in an error of double discourse, and it reflects the fact that rational choice paradigm can not fully substitute old paradigms. In other words, rational choice paradigm can partially integrate old paradigms, but this integration trend can not develop into the status of substitution. Here, this thesis also clarifies the meaning of shift as a trend of integration.