- Paperback: 454 pages
- Publisher: Transaction Publishers; New edition edition (31 May 1998)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0765804484
- ISBN-13: 978-0765804488
- Product Dimensions: 22.9 x 15.4 x 3 cm
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 1,260,933 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Synopsis
In this text, Abraham Kaplan emphasizes what unites the behavioural sciences, more than what distinguishes them from one another. This is not a formal exercise in the philosophy of science, but rather a critical assessment of the developing standards and strategies of contemporary social inquiry.
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1 review
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Heavy reading, but incredibly rewarding
9 Aug 2008
Format:Paperback
This book was recommended to me by a friend, a retired lawyer, just a few years before he died. He was very well-read, moreso than you'd imagine a lawyer to be, and he used to rave about what an incredible book this had been. He was very much an intellectual, and this had been perhaps the most influential book in his intellectual life's journey.
When I finally sat down with it, I understood why. Forgive me for using the word so often, but Kaplan, too, is (was?) an intellectual, and of the very first rank. In this book, he dissects the scientific process, with his focus being on the social sciences. His discussion is general enough that pretty much everything he says applies just as well to the hard sciences, too. The ideas he puts forward can be mind-blowing if you haven't encountered them before; facts do not relate to real quantities because our metrics are all made up, and theories are valued for being useful, not for being true. There is more that he says as well, but it has been some years since I've read the book, and I don't have it available to me right now. (When I saw Amazon had no review for this book, I decided I'd ought to weigh in anyway.)
This book is not light reading. Kaplan is an old master, sharing the wisdom that comes only after a lifetime of work in one's field. Also, he has a vocabulary that could be described as "Buckleyesque", and he doesn't hold back with it. You will want to have a dictionary handy when you read this book. (You're laughing at me now, but wait until you start Chapter 1.)
Did I mention this is an excellent book? It has become one of the most influential works in my own intellectual journey (Up there with Hofstader's "Godel, Escher, Bach" and Miles's "GOD; A Biography"), and I rather wish I could talk with my old friend again, to tell him how much I appreciated his recommendation.
(I'm giving it a star rating only because Amazon requires me to; if you don't want to read something heavy and thoughtful, then you should avoid this book. But for that matter, if you want what's in this book, then you should avoid Shakespeare. Should I give Shakespeare two stars?)
When I finally sat down with it, I understood why. Forgive me for using the word so often, but Kaplan, too, is (was?) an intellectual, and of the very first rank. In this book, he dissects the scientific process, with his focus being on the social sciences. His discussion is general enough that pretty much everything he says applies just as well to the hard sciences, too. The ideas he puts forward can be mind-blowing if you haven't encountered them before; facts do not relate to real quantities because our metrics are all made up, and theories are valued for being useful, not for being true. There is more that he says as well, but it has been some years since I've read the book, and I don't have it available to me right now. (When I saw Amazon had no review for this book, I decided I'd ought to weigh in anyway.)
This book is not light reading. Kaplan is an old master, sharing the wisdom that comes only after a lifetime of work in one's field. Also, he has a vocabulary that could be described as "Buckleyesque", and he doesn't hold back with it. You will want to have a dictionary handy when you read this book. (You're laughing at me now, but wait until you start Chapter 1.)
Did I mention this is an excellent book? It has become one of the most influential works in my own intellectual journey (Up there with Hofstader's "Godel, Escher, Bach" and Miles's "GOD; A Biography"), and I rather wish I could talk with my old friend again, to tell him how much I appreciated his recommendation.
(I'm giving it a star rating only because Amazon requires me to; if you don't want to read something heavy and thoughtful, then you should avoid this book. But for that matter, if you want what's in this book, then you should avoid Shakespeare. Should I give Shakespeare two stars?)
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