In arguably the finest text ever written in the philosophy of
social science, Abraham Kaplan emphasizes what unites the
behavioral sciences more than what distinguishes them from one
another. Kaplan avoids the bitter disputes among people doing
methodology, claiming instead that what is important are those
qualities intrinsic to the overall aspirations of the social
sciences. He deals with special problems of various disciplines
only so far as may be helpful in clarifying the general method of
inquiry.
"The Conduct of Inquiry "is a systematic, rounded, and
wide-ranging inquiry into behavioral science. Kaplan is guided by
the experience of sciences with longer histories, but he is bound
neither to their problems nor to their solutions. Instead, he
addresses the methodology of behavioral science in the broad sense
of both method and science. The work is not a formal exercise in
the philosophy of science but rather a critical and constructive
assessment of the developing standards and strategies of
contemporary social inquiry. He emphasizes the tasks, achievements,
limitations, and dilemmas of the newer disciplines.
Philosophers of science usually choose to write about the most
fully developed sciences because problems are clearer there. The
result is ordinarily of little benefit to the behavioral scientist,
whose task is clarification of method; here the precedents and
analogies of physical science are obscure or inappropriate. "The
Conduct of Inquiry "goes a long way in drawing upon the strengths
of social research insights without simplifying the common concerns
of the scientific enterprise as a whole. As Leonard Broom noted
when the book initially appeared: "Kaplan fills a gap and does so
with admirable clarity and often engaging wit. It lacks pomposity,
pedantry, and pretension, and it is bound to make an impact on the
teaching of and, with luck, research in the behavioral
sciences."
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