Diversity and order in communication theory: The uses of philosophical analysis

This essay proposes the metatheoretical stance of skeptical pluralism as a means of ordering and integrating knowledge of human communication. It begins with a critical discussion of the laws/systems/rules trichotomy and then outlines the method of skeptical pluralism. A typology of modern philosophies suggested by Richard McKeon is used to identify four fundamentally different conceptions of communication and science. The essay concludes with a discussion of several metatheoretical problems disclosed by the analysis.

Key concepts:

• Skeptical pluralism
• communication theory
• science
• meta‐theory
• laws
• systems
• rules
• phenomenology