Single Idea 8054

[catalogued under 14. Science / B. Scientific Theories / 1. Scientific Theory]

Full Idea

Social sciences have discovered no law-like generalisations whatsoever, ...and for the most part they adopt a very tolerant attitude to counter-examples.

Gist of Idea

Social sciences discover no law-like generalisations, and tend to ignore counterexamples

Source

Alasdair MacIntyre (After Virtue: a Study in Moral Theory [1981], Ch. 8)

Book Reference

MacIntyre,Alasdair: 'After Virtue: a Study in Moral Theory' [Duckworth 1982], p.84


A Reaction

I suspect that this is as much to do with a narrow and rigid view of what 'science' is supposed to be, as a failure of the social sciences. Have such sciences explained anything? I suspect that they have explained a lot, often after the facts.