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.

The history of the rise of "social science."

About the Author
Thomas L. Haskell is the McCann Professor of History at Rice University.

Reviews
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 2006



Book Information
ISBN 9780801865732
Author Thomas L. Haskell
Format Paperback
Page Count 336
Imprint Johns Hopkins University Press
Publisher Johns Hopkins University Press
Weight(grams) 454g