Relativism and the Social Sciences [Hardcover]

Ernest Gellner (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 26, 1985

This volume of essays deals with the problem of relativism, in particular cultural relativism. If our society knows better than other societies, how do we know that it knows better? There is a profound irony in the fact that this self-doubt has become most acute in the one civilisation that has persuaded the rest of the world to emulate it. The claim to cognitive superiority is often restricted, of course, to the limited sphere of natural science and technology; and that immediately raises the second main theme of this volume - the differences between the human and natural sciences. These essays reach towards a new style and mode of enquiry - a mixture of philosophy, history and anthropology - that promises to prove more revealing and fruitful.

Editorial Reviews

Review

'Gellner writes with a razor. His first essay on positivism and hegelianism ... is simply brilliant.' The Times Higher Education Supplement

' ... one of the pleasures of reading Gellner is just that he always finds a more apt phrase, a sharper comment, a better example than most of us could make up for ourselves.' New Society

Book Description

Considers human diversity and change and rejects the usual solutions to problems of relativism. Presents a new mode of inquiry in its stead a mixture of philosophy, history, and anthropology that appears to be more meaningful.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 216 pages
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press (April 26, 1985)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0521265304
• ISBN-13: 978-0521265300
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.5 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,061,517 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Somewhere between Kant and Herder!!, February 17, 2004

By 

Kevin Currie-Knight "Education Grad Student" (Newark, Delaware) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Relativism and the Social Sciences (Paperback)

As noted by many who knew or were influenced by Gellner, he was a dying breed: a polymath who was equally adept at philosophy, sociology, antrhopology, and politics. That ability, always noticeable in these essays, is what makes this book so different from like books on the subject.

This is needed because the subject - the problem of relativism in the social sciences - has become such a commonplace one, that one could easily fill a Barnes and Noble with titles adressing it. For all that, one would be hardpressed to count one one hand the books that actually contributed anything useful to the discussion rather than just rehashing the problem while pretending to have original thoughts on it.

I ramble on that for a reason. Gellner's is precisely one of those books that would be counted on that hand. The reason is that he is both a philosopher and an anthropoligist (as most writers in the one discipline ignore the methods of the other). Gellner's philosophic side wants to gravitate towards human universals and in this he resembles Kant and the Enlightenment. His anthropologist side, though, wants to gravitate towards the differences, and in this he takes after Herder and the Romantics.

As those who have read Gellner before know, he sides more-or-less with the Englightenment on this one (never all the way). As a brief synopsis, the first and fourth essay defend positivism and argue that the scientific process not only applies to the 'social sciences' but is the best way for them to operate. The second and (my favorite) third essay, deal with the problem of human universals in a world of seemingly different areas, approaches, cultures and...dare we say it...natures. The fifth, sixth and seventh essay (more antrhopologic theory and less philosophy) deal with and demolish 'structuralism' and 'hermeneutic' approaches to antrhopology with the lattter taking direct aim at Wittgenstien's 'community' theory of language.

While this collection is short (at 187 pages) the insights are fantasitc and as mentioned above, blend the theoretic prowess of the philosopher with the empirical traditon of the antrhopologist. On a personal note, as a longtime fan of Karl Popper, I found Gellners extended critique (first essay) of Popper most useful. Long and short: this book is worth the time, effort, and money.