Explanation and Understanding in the Human Sciences

by Gurpreet Mahajan

Social scientists explain events by identifying reasons and causes. Occasionally they weave a series of events into a historical narrative. What is entailed in each kind of explanation? What form of explanation is adequate for the social sciences? In this lucid book, Gurpreet Mahajan surveys each of the major forms of inquiry—hermeneutic understanding, narrative, reason-action, and causal explanation—to examine how each method changes our perceptions of social reality. The third edition includes a new Preface that discusses some recent shifts in the conceptualization of the social sciences.

300 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 15, 1992

Reviews

[Vipul Vivek M-D · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lucidly written, it is balanced in its assessment of causal/scientific and interpretive methodologies in social sciences. The epilogue on postmodernism is a brilliantly summarised history for beginners as well as a measured appraisal.