Social knowledge : an essay on the nature and limits of social science / by Paul Mattick.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Mattick, Paul, 1944- author.

Series:

Historical materialism book series ; 207.

Historical materialism book series ; volume 207

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Social sciences--Philosophy.

Social sciences.

Physical Description:

xxii, 114 pages ; 25 cm.

Edition:

Second edition.

Place of Publication:

Leiden ; Boston : Brill, [2020]

Summary:

"How is scientific knowledge of social life possible? If there are social sciences, must they employ methods different from those of the natural sciences? In Social Knowledge, Paul Mattick argues that the well-known difficulties of the social sciences--in particular the predictive and explanatory failures of economics--are due not to an inherent resistance of social life to scientific explanation, but to the failure of social scientists to include their own categories of social explanation among the objects of scientific study. Looking at Marx as an anthropological theorist, Mattick compares his critique of political economy with Evans-Pritchard's analysis of Azande witchcraft. Just as the British anthropologist attempted to explain Azande ideas and rituals in terms of their place in native life, Marx wished to explain the continued faith in economics--despite its striking weakness as a science--in terms of the central role played by this system of ideas in the daily lives of natives of capitalist society. This comparison leads to the questions about the nature of scientific thinking and its relation to our everyday knowledge of social reality that are the subject of this book. Second edition, with a new Preface by the author. The first edition was published in 1986 by Hutchinson, ISBN 9780091654603"-- Provided by publisher.

How is scientific knowledge of social life possible? If there are social sciences, must they employ methods different from those of the natural sciences? In 'Social Knowledge', Paul Mattick argues that the well-known difficulties of the social sciences - in particular the predictive and explanatory failures of economics - are due not to an inherent resistance of social life to scientific explanation, but to the failure of social scientists to include their own categories of social explanation among the objects of scientific study.0Looking at Marx as an anthropological theorist, Mattick compares his critique of political economy with Evans-Pritchard's analysis of Azande witchcraft. Just as the British anthropologist attempted to explain Azande ideas and rituals in terms of their place in native life, Marx wished to explain the continued faith in economics - despite its striking weakness as a science - in terms of the central role played by this system of ideas in the daily lives of natives of capitalist society. This comparison leads to the questions about the nature of scientific thinking and its relation to our everyday knowledge of social reality that are the subject of this book.0Second edition, with a new Preface by the author. The first edition was published in 1986 by Hutchinson, ISBN 9780091654603.

Notes:

"With a new preface by the author"--Verso.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Other Format:

Online version: Mattick, Paul, 1944- Social knowledge

ISBN:

9789004414808

9004414800

OCLC:

1122727279