RELEVANCE AND RATIONALITY IN LEISURE STUDIES - A PLEA FOR GOOD REASON

The issue of relevance cannot be separated from a concern for values. Yet convention in rational inquiry has rigidly segregated values (mora l knowledge) from facts (empirical knowledge). At one time, moral and empirical knowledge coexisted, offering a theory of reason able to acc ount for matters of moral relevance. Among other factors, instrumental rationality and positivism undermined the relationship of empirical s cience and moral philosophy. A reconciliation between facts and values , providing a more ''reasonable theory of reason'' better suited to mo ral relevance, is possible. It will require a more diverse and broader approach to inquiry that integratively includes empirical, interpreti ve, and critical methods. Several suggestions are presented for consid eration by leisure studies researchers.