ISBN: 0300074778

[SR: 2451260], Hardcover, [EAN: 9780300074772], Yale University Press, Yale University Press, Book, [PU: Yale University Press], Yale University Press, Our understanding of the natural wo… More...

[SR: 2451260], Hardcover, [EAN: 9780300074772], Yale University Press, Yale University Press, Book, [PU: Yale University Press], Yale University Press, Our understanding of the natural world, from the tiniest quark to the biggest galaxy, is ever-deepening, even while it seems that our grasp on who we are--our essential humanity--is slipping farther and farther away. Renowned cultural historian Bruce Mazlish makes the case for advancing the "human sciences" (psychology, philosophy, hermeneutics and literature) in his masterful yet humble book The Uncertain Sciences. Standing on the shoulders of giants from nearly every field of endeavour, Mazlish seeks a place for us to fit into our schemes of knowledge, to be at one with the objects of our understanding. Can we develop a science of humanity while avoiding the pitfalls of positivism and postmodernism? Mazlish is optimistic, even ebullient at times, though always practical and keeping an eye on what is possible. Hopeful that our species can transform itself into a "truth community" which values knowledge of self and others more highly than today's culture, he explores what it would mean to merge morality with mathematics--meaning with measurement--into a synthesis by which we might retain both our knowledge and our essence. Mazlish writes that The Uncertain Sciences "...is like an orange, to be slowly peeled", and any book that quotes Faraday, Asimov and Foucault in the first few pages deserves such a warning, but the careful reader will find the rewards well worth the challenge. --Rob Lightner, 772162, Cultural History, 772188, Local & Urban History, 772192, London, 271405, Multicultural History, 271433, Oral History, 65, History, 1025612, Subjects, 266239, Books, 271436, Theory & Methods, 271389, Other Historical Subjects, 65, History, 1025612, Subjects, 266239, Books, 57, Science & Nature, 277886, Astronomy & Cosmology, 277912, Biological Sciences, 278004, Chemistry, 278028, Earth Sciences & Geography, 922964, Education, 278115, Engineering & Technology, 278080, Environment & Ecology, 922480, Experiments, Instruments & Measurements, 277859, Food & Farming, 922508, History & Philosophy, 278320, Mathematics, 922532, Medicine, 278392, Nature, 278409, Physics, 922868, Popular Science, 922960, Reference, 922866, Research & Development, 758860, Scientists & Engineers, 278454, Veterinary Science, 1025612, Subjects, 266239, Books, 276315, Philosophy, 496404, History, 496508, Introduction to Philosophy, 276319, Non-Western, 496410, Philosophers, 276343, Reference, 496408, Schools of Thought, 496406, Topics, 60, Society, Politics & Philosophy, 1025612, Subjects, 266239, Books, 496632, Methodology, 276412, Anthropology, 276411, Social Sciences, 60, Society, Politics & Philosophy, 1025612, Subjects, 266239, Books, 276413, Social & Cultural, 276412, Anthropology, 276411, Social Sciences, 60, Society, Politics & Philosophy, 1025612, Subjects, 266239, Books<

ISBN: 0300074778

Our understanding of the natural world, from the tiniest quark to the biggest galaxy, is ever-deepening, even while it seems that our grasp of who we are--our essential humanity--is slipp… More...

Our understanding of the natural world, from the tiniest quark to the biggest galaxy, is ever-deepening, even while it seems that our grasp of who we are--our essential humanity--is slipping further and further away. Renowned cultural historian Bruce Mazlish makes the case for advancing the "human sciences" (psychology, philosophy, hermeneutics, and literature) in his masterful yet humble book The Uncertain Sciences. Standing on the shoulders of giants from nearly every field of endeavor, Mazlish seeks a place for us to fit into our schemes of knowledge, to be at one with the objects of our understanding. Can we develop a science of humanity while avoiding the pitfalls of positivism and postmodernism? Mazlish is optimistic, even ebullient at times, though always practical and keeping an eye on what is possible. Hopeful that our species can transform itself into a "truth community" that values knowledge of self and others more highly than today's culture, he explores what it would mean to merge morality with mathematics, meaning with measurement, into a synthesis by which we might retain both our knowledge and our essence. Mazlish writes that The Uncertain Sciences "is like an orange, to be slowly peeled"--and any book that quotes Faraday, Asimov, and Foucault in the first few pages deserves such a warning, but the careful reader will find the rewards well worth the challenge. --Rob Lightner history,history and philosophy,philosophy,politics and social sciences,science and math,social sciences,world Philosophy, Yale University Press<

ISBN: 9780300074772

In this wide-ranging book one of the most esteemed cultural historians of our time turns his attention to major questions about human experience and the attempts to understand it" scienti… More...

In this wide-ranging book one of the most esteemed cultural historians of our time turns his attention to major questions about human experience and the attempts to understand it" scientifically". Bruce Mazlish considers the achievements, failings, and possibilities of the human sciences -- a domain that he broadly defines to include the social sciences, literature, psychology, and hermeneutic studies. In a rich and original synthesis built upon the work of earlier philosophers and historians, Mazlish constructs a new view of the nature and meaning of the human sciences.Starting with the remote human past and moving through the Age of Discovery to the present day, the author discusses what sort of knowledge the human sciences claim to offer. He looks closely at the positivistic aspirations of the human sciences, which arc modeled after the natural sciences, and at their interpretive tendencies. In an analysis of scientific method and scientific community, he explores the roles they can or should assume in the human sciences. Mazlish's approach is genuinely interdisciplinary, and he draws on an array of topics, from civil society, to globalization to the interactions of humans and machines, to inform his thought-provoking discussion of historical consciousness. Media >, [PU: Yale University Press]<