Author : Theodore M. Porter
Release : 2020-08-18
Genre : Science
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Book Rating : 543/5 ( reviews)

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Trust in Numbers - read free eBook in online reader or directly download on the web page. Select files or add your book in reader. Download and read online ebook Trust in Numbers write by Theodore M. Porter. This book was released on 2020-08-18. Trust in Numbers available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. A foundational work on historical and social studies of quantification What accounts for the prestige of quantitative methods? The usual answer is that quantification is desirable in social investigation as a result of its successes in science. Trust in Numbers questions whether such success in the study of stars, molecules, or cells should be an attractive model for research on human societies, and examines why the natural sciences are highly quantitative in the first place. Theodore Porter argues that a better understanding of the attractions of quantification in business, government, and social research brings a fresh perspective to its role in psychology, physics, and medicine. Quantitative rigor is not inherent in science but arises from political and social pressures, and objectivity derives its impetus from cultural contexts. In a new preface, the author sheds light on the current infatuation with quantitative methods, particularly at the intersection of science and bureaucracy.