| Dark Ages: The Case for a Science of Human | | | | Gary Kleck's work on gun control. "Kleck's work is |
| Behavior by Lee McIntyre. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, | | | | inspiring," he writes. "Here's a liberal Democrat who's |
| 2006. 121 pages, index. Hardcover; $24.95. ISBN: | | | | not bringing politics into the work. He's convinced that |
| 0262134691. | | | | this is an empirical field, that he should gather data |
| During the period known as The Dark Ages, the | | | | without knowing in advance how it's going to turn |
| progress of Western civilization virtually stopped. The | | | | out, and he ends up with some startling findings." |
| knowledge gained by scholars of the classical age | | | | Related to this lack of courage, he asserts, is the |
| was lost and for nearly 600 years "there were no | | | | failure of the social sciences to adopt the self-critical |
| significant breakthroughs in art, science, philosophy, or | | | | empiricist methodology that has propelled the physical |
| literature". For those six centuries, life was governed | | | | and biological sciences to greatness. He recounts the |
| by superstition and fear fueled by ignorance. In the | | | | example of the "cold fusion" fiasco of 1989 as an |
| introduction to this book, philosopher Lee C. McIntyre | | | | example of how the validity of scientific knowledge is |
| raises the questions of what it would feel like to live | | | | preserved by the constant vigilance of researchers |
| in a "dark age" and whether we would even realize | | | | who seek the empirical falsification of proposed |
| that we were living in a dark age. The answer, he | | | | hypotheses. Unfortunately, he asserts, such attempts |
| suggests, is that it would feel just like our lives do | | | | at falsification are rarely made in the social sciences. |
| today, because we are living in a dark age whether | | | | While I agree with the principles the asserts, I find |
| most of us know it or not. | | | | that like most philosophers of science he is lacking in |
| The re-discovery of the writings of Aristotle and | | | | knowledge or understanding of the real practical |
| other Classical thinkers in the Renaissance sparked | | | | workings of the social sciences. Kleck's work, for |
| the end of the dark ages in the humanities. Progress | | | | instance, may diverge from his prior beliefs (neither |
| in the natural sciences, McIntyre points out, met | | | | McIntyre nor I know what his prior beliefs were) but |
| violent opposition from the Catholic Church but was | | | | his findings are consistent with widely held and well |
| triumphant a few centuries later, although | | | | financed ideology. It is true that Kleck's work has |
| anti-evolutionists and global warming denialists | | | | been attacked by many who are ideologically |
| continue to wage their battle against the natural | | | | opposed to his findings but it has also been criticized |
| sciences. The social sciences, however, still have not | | | | for its grave methodological weaknesses and for |
| emerged at all from the Dark Ages in his view. | | | | promoting conclusions that run contrary to evidence |
| The result of this continuing Dark Age of the social | | | | from methodologically superior sources. |
| sciences is that we are as ignorant today of the | | | | McIntyre shows a similar unfamiliarity with the issues |
| causes of human behavior as people centuries ago | | | | or the evidence when he discusses Herrnstein and |
| were of the causes of such natural phenomena as | | | | Murray's The Bell Curve, another book attacked on |
| disease, famine, and eclipses. We have progressed no | | | | ideological grounds but also quite validly condemned |
| further in our understanding of what causes war, | | | | for bad science behind many of its assertions. For |
| crime, and poverty - and of how to end them - than | | | | instance, Kleck's estimate of the number of times |
| had our ancestors. What we need, McIntyre says, is | | | | each year that someone shoots a criminal in self |
| another scientific revolution. We need the courage to | | | | defense exceeds the total number of gunshot |
| apply a more rigorous methodology to the study of | | | | injuries annually. Both Kleck's work and, even moreso, |
| human behavior and to go where the empirical | | | | The Bell Curve would have served better as |
| evidence leads us, even if it threatens our cherished | | | | examples of the ideologically driven social science |
| beliefs about human autonomy, race, class, and | | | | McIntyre rightly condemns. |
| gender. | | | | He is even further off-base in asserting that |
| McIntyre lists the most common objections to the | | | | falsification is a rarely used approach in the social |
| social sciences as true science. He then quite | | | | sciences. Certainly, if your idea of the social sciences |
| effectively exposes each as false. Academic | | | | includes the ilk of Sigmund Freud, Milton Friedman, |
| philosophers might find both his list of objections and | | | | then you are talking about social theories without |
| his refutations too cursory but this book is intended | | | | science of any sort. There are, however, many social |
| for a lay audience and he has offered a fuller version | | | | and behavioral scientists who do apply the classical |
| of these arguments in his earlier published work, | | | | method of testing hypotheses. Their work fills |
| including his academic book Laws and Explanation in | | | | numerous scientific journals. And those journals are |
| the Social Sciences (Westview Press, 1996). | | | | committed to the same critical approach that |
| A major thrust of McIntyre's argument is that the | | | | characterized the physical sciences in the "cold fusion" |
| physical sciences once had to overcome the same | | | | affair. I don't suggest that the social sciences have |
| kinds of methodological and societal barriers that face | | | | achieved that ideal state McIntyre describes, only |
| the social sciences today. Both physics and | | | | that they are not so very far from it as he asserts. |
| astronomy had to free themselves of a disciplinary | | | | Despite his strong commitment to ideology-free |
| mind-set that eschewed empirical testing and sought | | | | science, McIntyre makes his own ideological biases |
| truth through sheer intellectual speculation. The | | | | manifest when he wonders how a rational person |
| authority of Aristotle, Scripture, and Church doctrine | | | | can "believe in a concept so patently implausible as |
| blocked the way towards genuine advances. | | | | God". I can't help but wonder whether he would be |
| McIntyre devotes half a chapter to an account of | | | | willing to set aside his prior opinions in examining any |
| Galileo's battle for the heliocentric model of the | | | | issue regarding religion -- he certainly has not done so |
| universe as an illustration of how the natural sciences | | | | in writing this book. |
| prevailed over the kinds of biases and methodological | | | | Regardless of these failings and his polemic style, |
| weaknesses that still plague the social sciences today. | | | | McIntyre's book offers an optimistic view with some |
| McIntyre argues that the social sciences can achieve | | | | highly practical suggestions for applying scientific rigor |
| the same kind of triumph if social scientist will only | | | | to the understanding of some of the most |
| show the courage and commitment to scientific | | | | fundamental problems facing us today. As he says in |
| method that Galileo did. | | | | closing, "A science of human behavior can lead the |
| In McIntyre's view, what is missing in today's social | | | | way out of the current mess of unreason and |
| sciences is the scientific attitude -- the willingness to | | | | tragedy that hangs over human affairs. The |
| accept what the evidence shows even if it clashes | | | | application of our highest form of reason, science, to |
| with precious religious or political ideologies. Ideally, | | | | the study of our social problems is our best hope for |
| social scientists should have "a propensity for being | | | | salvation. Even in a dark age, our reason can see us |
| surprised by what they find and the courage to | | | | through. Our future may well be brighter that we |
| investigate where they think the results might tell | | | | have imagined it, for scientific inquiry is well equipped |
| them something they don't really want to know." As | | | | to answer the questions that have been put by |
| his exemplar of such courage, he cites criminologist | | | | human misery. The world awaits our response. |