Situational logic (also situational analysis) is a concept advanced by

Karl Popper Sir Karl Raimund Popper (28 July 1902 – 17 September 1994) was an Austrian-British philosopher, academic and social commentator. One of the 20th century's most influential philosophers of science, Popper is known for his rejection of the cl ...

in his ''

The Poverty of Historicism ''The Poverty of Historicism'' is a 1944 book by the philosopher Karl Popper (revised in 1957), in which the author argues that the idea of historicism is dangerous and bankrupt. Publication ''The Poverty of Historicism'' was first written as a ...

''. Situational logic is a process by which a social scientist tries to reconstruct the problem situation confronting an agent in order to understand that agent's choice.

Noretta Koertge Noretta Koertge is an American philosopher of science noted for her work on Karl Popper and scientific rationality. Career She worked since 1981 as a Professor in the Department of History and Philosophy of Science and Indiana University and is ...

(1975) provides a helpful clarificatory summary.This use of this summary is from Boumans and Davis (2010). :First provide a description of the situation: ::''Agent A was in a situation of type C''. :This situation is then analysed ::''In a situation of type C, the appropriate thing to do is X.'' :The rationality principle may then be called upon: :''agents always act appropriately to their situation'' :Finally we have the ''explanadum'': ::''(therefore) A did X.''Koertge, N. (1975), "Popper's Metaphysical Research Program for the Human Sciences", ''Inquiry'', 18 (1975), 437–62.

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Philosophy of social science Logic Analysis {{Philo-stub