Philosophic Thinking in Social Work: An Analysis of 30 Years of Social Work Editorials

This article looks at 30 years of editorial perspectives and trends in social work as a profession through the analysis of editorials from the journal Social Work. It identifies the wax and wane of philosophic (intellectual or scholarly) questions in social work thinking in the past three decades. It defines what philosophic thinking means and identifies the types of knowledge generated by the editorial discussions and the directions set by them. It reviews the emergence of scientific thinking in social work and links it to the persistent influence of Flexner’s thinking and critique of 1915 in the minds of scholars. The perspectives and themes in the editorials accurately correspond with the paradigms observed in the profession and the different directions taken by social work education. The text analysis of 30 years of editorials shows the characteristic discussions and controversies that have challenged social work through the past three decades.