Studies on the abuse and decline of reason [electronic resource] : text and documents / edited by Bruce Caldwell.

9780226321127 (ebook) :

Chicago, [Ill.] ; London : University of Chicago Press, 2010.

1 online resource (x, 331 p.).

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How to best and most accurately study social interactions has long been debated intensely, and there are two main approaches: the positivists, who ignore intent and belief and draw on methods based in the sciences; and the non-positivists, who argue that opinions and ideas drive action and are central to understanding social behaviour. The author's opposition to the positivists and their claims to scientific rigour and certainty in the study of human behaviour is a running theme of the book, which argues that the vast number of elements whose interactions create social structures and institutions make it unlikely that social science can predict precise outcomes.

Chicago scholarship online.

Print version

Books / Online

English

May 06, 2016

Includes bibliographical references and index.