The blind watchmaker: meaning and method in social action

Since the 1940s / 1950s, there has been increasing sophistication in the ways of thinking, organizing, and evaluating social action. Many theories and methodological approaches have been developed to better understand how social change actually occurs. One current, in particular, gave rise to numerous tools marked by a linear causal logic, with a positivist bias. This approach, currently dominant in the support and management of social projects, has shown limitations in the case of more complex initiatives, such as collective actions aimed at political influence, the change in power relations and the transformation of attitudes and behavior patterns.