Metatheory

Metatheory is theory about theory. Every theory is based on certain assumptions about the nature of theory and about fundamental aspects of the phenomena or subject matter theorized. Most often these metatheoretical assumptions are implicit, meaning they are not explicitly articulated within the theory itself. The purpose of metatheory is to explicitly articulate and critique the metatheoretical assumptions that underlie theories and to articulate normative metatheoretical principles to guide the creation and assessment of theories. Metatheory addresses questions such as what is theory. What are the purposes of theory? How should theories be constructed? How should they be tested or critiqued, and by what criteria? In the case of communication metatheory, answering these questions can involve arguments about the fundamental nature of communication as well as about knowledge and inquiry in general.

Communication theorists James A. Anderson and Geoffrey Baym have distinguished four types of metatheoretical assumptions:

1. Ontology: Assumptions about existence such as the nature of the human individual and how we relate to the world around us. For example, some theories assume that human behavior is determined by external causes, while others assume that individuals freely choose how to act. Theories also disagree about whether communication phenomena exist objectively, independent of our theories, or whether those phenomena exist only as socially interpreted, in which case the communication phenomena we study do not exist independently of our theories but are shaped to some extent by the theories we use to interpret them.

2. Epistemology: Assumptions about knowledge such as what it means to know something and how knowledge claims can be validated. Some theories assume that theoretical claims can be supported only by empirical observation, while others assume that theoretical claims can be based on conceptual analysis and rational argument, and still others assume that theories are interpretations of the world that cannot be proven with much certainty, if at all.

3. Praxeology: Assumptions about the practice of theory such as how a theory should be structured and presented and factors that determine a theory's relevance and originality. Theories are always written for particular audiences—intellectual communities in which it is conventionally expected that theories should address certain issues, cite certain precedents (usually previous theories in the same tradition), and be written in certain ways (e.g., using verbal arguments, formal systems of propositions, or mathematical formulas).

4. Axiology: Assumptions about the values that a theory should reflect or how a theory should contribute to society. In the empirical scientific tradition, it is generally assumed that the best way for science to contribute to society is by providing carefully tested, objective, value-free theoretical knowledge. In contrast, normative, value-based theorizing is explicitly intended to evaluate and influence communication practices.

An articulated, logically consistent set of ontological, epistemological, praxeological, and axiological assumptions distinguishes a coherent metatheory or metatheoretical approach, although metatheoretical writings seldom mention all four types of assumptions explicitly. Communication theorists have not agreed on a single metatheory, but continue [Page 658]to develop theories and debate the fundamental assumptions of communication theory from various metatheoretical stances. These debates are not restricted to communication theory, but extend across disciplines into philosophy, the humanities, and the social sciences. Several broad approaches to metatheory can be distinguished, including empirical-explanatory social science, interpretive social science, critical theory, and practical theory. Each of these broad approaches includes a range of contending views. To suggest in a general way how the same communication phenomena can be theorized from some of these different metatheoretical stances, group leadership will be used as a running example.

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