Calling the Social Sciences Names

Throughout the 1950s, the use of the behavioral sciences label went together with the affirmation of social science’s collective ambitions to use quantitative methods and to practice interdisciplinary cooperation, but it also helped differentiation between and among disciplines by expressing differe...

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Main Author: Philippe Fontaine
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Éditions de la Sorbonne 2020-12-01
Series:Revue d’Histoire des Sciences Humaines
Subjects:
Online Access:http://journals.openedition.org/rhsh/5333
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author Philippe Fontaine
author_facet Philippe Fontaine
author_sort Philippe Fontaine
collection DOAJ
description Throughout the 1950s, the use of the behavioral sciences label went together with the affirmation of social science’s collective ambitions to use quantitative methods and to practice interdisciplinary cooperation, but it also helped differentiation between and among disciplines by expressing different forms of engagement with natural science methods. In the Division of the Social Sciences at the University of Chicago, there were different conceptions of the behavioral sciences and the term referred to a variety of social scientific orientations along a spectrum running from biological to social determinism. The biologically-centered definition favored at the Committee on the Behavioral Sciences clashed with the mainstream definition’s emphasis on the loose emulation of natural science methods within a resolutely sociological framework.
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series Revue d’Histoire des Sciences Humaines
spelling doaj-art-e2b15990e9df4d9890b31646bbbf20812025-08-20T02:04:17ZengÉditions de la SorbonneRevue d’Histoire des Sciences Humaines1963-10222020-12-013716319110.4000/rhsh.5333Calling the Social Sciences NamesPhilippe FontaineThroughout the 1950s, the use of the behavioral sciences label went together with the affirmation of social science’s collective ambitions to use quantitative methods and to practice interdisciplinary cooperation, but it also helped differentiation between and among disciplines by expressing different forms of engagement with natural science methods. In the Division of the Social Sciences at the University of Chicago, there were different conceptions of the behavioral sciences and the term referred to a variety of social scientific orientations along a spectrum running from biological to social determinism. The biologically-centered definition favored at the Committee on the Behavioral Sciences clashed with the mainstream definition’s emphasis on the loose emulation of natural science methods within a resolutely sociological framework.http://journals.openedition.org/rhsh/5333University of Chicagobehavioral sciencesquantitative methodsinterdisciplinarityCommittee on the Behavioral Sciences
spellingShingle Philippe Fontaine
Calling the Social Sciences Names
Revue d’Histoire des Sciences Humaines
University of Chicago
behavioral sciences
quantitative methods
interdisciplinarity
Committee on the Behavioral Sciences
title Calling the Social Sciences Names
title_full Calling the Social Sciences Names
title_fullStr Calling the Social Sciences Names
title_full_unstemmed Calling the Social Sciences Names
title_short Calling the Social Sciences Names
title_sort calling the social sciences names
topic University of Chicago
behavioral sciences
quantitative methods
interdisciplinarity
Committee on the Behavioral Sciences
url http://journals.openedition.org/rhsh/5333
work_keys_str_mv AT philippefontaine callingthesocialsciencesnames