The Emergence of Professional Social Science
Thomas L. Haskell
(Author)
Description
The history of the rise of "social science."
Thomas L. Haskell's The Emergence of Professional Social Science signaled the beginning of his distinguished career as a historian of ideas and critic of historical logic. His first book, now available in this paperback edition with a new preface by the author, explores the background and premises of the American Social Science Association (ASSA)--the first American group dedicated to the "scientific" study of humanity and society. Haskell thus helps us to understand a sea change in American intellectual life--the rise of this thing called "social science," the power and implications of the new trend toward secular professionalism, and, ultimately, how it happened that commonsense modes of explanation in terms of conscious choices by individuals came to be overshadowed by a mode of explanation that systematically construes people as creatures of circumstance. How, Haskell asks in his conclusion, did the development of modern society alter "the way we explain human affairs and conceive of man?" This edition includes a new appendix, listing all articles appearing in the Journal of Social Science from 1869 to 1901.
Product Details
| Publisher | Johns Hopkins University Press |
| Publish Date | January 03, 2001 |
| Pages | 336 |
| Language | English |
| Type |  Paperback / softback |
| EAN/UPC | 9780801865732 |
| Dimensions | 9.2 X 6.0 X 0.7 inches | 1.0 pounds |
About the Author
Reviews
A number of helpful works have been written about the early history of the social sciences in the United States . . . but none has contributed more than Haskell's book . . . to our effort to understand the origins, the sustaining conditions, and the early consequences of professional social science in America.
--David A. Hollinger "American Historical Review"A venturesome reassessment of the intellectual 'revolution' that took place around the end of the nineteenth century and laid the foundations of modern social thought . . . A major contribution to the intellectual history of the late nineteenth century.
--John HighamA very valuable book, not only for the gap it fills in the study of the emergence and professionalization of the social science disciplines, but also for its interpretation of the origins and distinguishing features of modern social thought . . . This book will command the attention and respect of scholars for a very long time.
-- "Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science"Haskell provides a deeper understanding of the relationship between professional societies and authoritative knowledge and how this led to the rise of distinctive intellectual societies.
--Daniel W. Williams "Public Administration Review"Earn by promoting books
