Introduction to Applied Metaphysical Sociology: Seeing the Invisible
Applied Metaphysical Sociology: Seeing the Invisible
What if the causes of our social conditions are not always visible?
We can see infant mortality.
We can see poverty.
We can see educational disparities.
We can see family instability.
We can see violence.
We can see health outcomes.
But what produced what we can see?
Applied Metaphysical Sociology is a developing discipline that examines the relationship between the invisible and the visible—and works backward from observable social outcomes to investigate the unseen conditions that may be producing them.
The invisible can include things we cannot directly observe: consciousness, beliefs, identity, meaning, perception, values, spiritual principles, and other underlying orientations that influence how people understand themselves and their world—and ultimately how they behave.
In this first Identity Lab workshop, we will explore:
What is metaphysical sociology?
What makes it applied?
What does it mean to investigate the invisible?
How do invisible conditions become visible outcomes?
How do we work backward from an observed outcome to investigate its possible causes?
What might conventional approaches miss when they focus primarily on what can be seen?
Drawing from real-world examples and field experience, we'll explore how this way of thinking can be applied to social research, community work, human services, intervention design, and the investigation of root causes.
This workshop is for researchers, sociologists, social workers, intervention designers, community practitioners, and curious thinkers interested in looking beneath the surface of social conditions.
THE CENTRAL QUESTION
What are we not seeing?
Identity Lab is a space for investigating what lies beneath the visible—to understand not only what is happening, but why.