This study traces the methodological foundations, research techniques, and basic concepts of the social sciences from their earliest origins to the beginning of 20th century. It discusses the French Enlightenment, British moral philosophy and includes figures from the 19th century such as Marx.

Ground-breaking and original, this book debunks the myth that empirical social science has been dominated by its male founders and methodologists. The author re-analyses the critical role British, French and American women played in creating the field from the 16th through the early 20th centuries. Included are Mary Astell, Mary Wollstonecraft, Harriet Martineau, Beatrice Webb, Catharine Macauley, Florence Nightingale, Madame de Staël and Jane Addams.

The Handbook of Aging and the Social Sciences, Sixth Edition provides a comprehensive summary and evaluation of recent research on the social aspects of aging. The 25 chapters are divided into four sections discussing Aging and Time, Aging and Social Structure, Social Factors and Social Institutions, and Aging and Society. Within this context, aging is examined from the perspectives of many disciplines and professions including anthropology, bioethics, demography, economics, epidemiology, law, political science, psychology, and sociology.The Sixth Edition of the Handbook is virtually 100% new material. Seventeen chapters are on subjects not carried in the previous edition. Seven topics were carried over from the previous edition but written by new authors with fresh perspectives and brought up to date. Some of the exciting new topics include social relationships in late life, technological change and aging, religion and aging, lifestyle and aging, perceived quality of life, economic security in retirement, and aging and the law. There is also a greater emphasis on international perspectives, particularly in chapters on aging and politics, diversity and aging, and immigration.The Handbook will be of use to researchers and professional practitioners working with the aged. It is also suitable for use as a course text for graduate and advanced undergraduate courses on aging and the social sciences.

Since the latter half of the 20th century, the economics departments of American universities were internationally renowned for providing competitive and advanced levels of education. However, from the 1870s up until the beginning of WWI, German universities held international supremacy when it came to the quality of teaching, the enrollment of foreign students, and scholarly publications. This book examines the role of the German Historical School of Economics (GHSE) in the development of the discipline of economics in the US during this period. The chapters explain that, prior to the influence of the GHSE, political economy was in a dismal state in the US, both as a profession and an academic discipline. As a result, many Americans elected to go to Germany in pursuit of an advanced education in political economy, having been inspired by the unmatched international reputations of theorists of the GHSE. After they returned home, these German-trained Americans challenged the dominant status of classical orthodoxy and revolutionized the discipline of economics in the US by importing the ideas, methods, and approaches of the GHSE. In doing so, they established the first dedicated political economy departments, graduate programs, and chairs at American universities and colleges. Although the precise magnitude and value of the influence of the GHSE is impossible to quantify, there is no doubt that Americans are deeply indebted to this school of thought for its contributions to the early development of the discipline of economics in the US. The chapters also examine what has been lost since: the current mainstream in economics has eliminated many of the features that were once so important to the discipline that it has effectively limited contemporary economics to a small fraction of the complex organism defined by the German Historical School. This situation has facilitated the poverty of the leading economic school of thought, as well as the discipline of economics in general. This book represents a significant contribution to the literature on the history of economic thought and economic education in the US. It will be of particular interest to students and scholars of economics, political science, sociology, and the philosophy of economics.

Handbook of Aging and the Social Sciences, Eighth Edition, presents the extraordinary growth of research on aging individuals, populations, and the dynamic culmination of the life course, providing a comprehensive synthesis and review of the latest research findings in the social sciences of aging. As the complexities of population dynamics, cohort succession, and policy changes modify the world and its inhabitants in ways that must be vigilantly monitored so that aging research remains relevant and accurate, this completely revised edition not only includes the foundational, classic themes of aging research, but also a rich array of emerging topics and perspectives that advance the field in exciting ways. New topics include families, immigration, social factors, and cognition, caregiving, neighborhoods, and built environments, natural disasters, religion and health, and sexual behavior, amongst others. - Covers the key areas in sociological gerontology research in one volume, with an 80% update of the material - Headed up by returning editor Linda K. George, and new editor Kenneth Ferraro, highly respected voices and researchers within the sociology of aging discipline - Assists basic researchers in keeping abreast of research and clinical findings - Includes theory and methods, aging and social structure, social factors and social institutions, and aging and society - Serves as a useful resource—an inspiration to those searching for ways to contribute to the aging enterprise, and a tribute to the rich bodies of scholarship that comprise aging research in the social sciences

History and Philosophy of Science and Technology is a component of Encyclopedia of Physical Sciences, Engineering and Technology Resources in the global Encyclopedia of Life Support Systems (EOLSS), which is an integrated compendium of twenty one Encyclopedias. The Theme on History and Philosophy of Science and Technology in four volumes covers several topics such as: Introduction to the Philosophy of Science; The Nature and Structure of Scientific Theories Natural Science; A Short History of Molecular Biology; The Structure of the Darwinian Argument In The Origin of Species; History of Measurement Theory; Episodes of XX Century Cosmology: A Historical Approach; Philosophy of Economics; Social Sciences: Historical And Philosophical Overview of Methods And Goals; Introduction to Ethics of Science and Technology; The Ethics of Science and Technology; The Control of Nature and the Origins of The Dichotomy Between Fact And Value; Science and Empires: The Geo-Epistemic Location of Knowledge; Science and Religion; Scientific Knowledge and Religious Knowledge - Significant Epistemological Reference Points; Thing Called Philosophy of Technology; Transitions from Function-Oriented To Effect-Oriented Technologies. Some Thought on the Nature of Modern Technology; Technical Agency and Sources of Technological Pessimism These four volumes are aimed at a broad spectrum of audiences: University and College Students, Educators and Research Personnel.

This volume examines the relationship between history, philosophy, and social science, and contributors explore questions concerning realism, ontology, causation, explanation, and values in order to address the question “what does a post-positivist social science look like?”