IN RELATION TO SCIENCE AND SOCIAL NONSCIENCE: A CRITIQUE OF PEARSON AND FISHER

The widespread application of empirical methods in the contemporary sociological enterprise is interesting, but not scientific. Examined are the analytic procedures used in sociology as derived from Karl Pearson (The Grammar of Science, London: Dent Ltd, 1937) & Ronald Fisher (The Design of Experiments, London: Oliver & Boyd, 1935) in relation to the method of exact science. This comparison delineates the fundamental distinctions between systematic empiricism & science. The point of reference used in presenting the scientific approach is Galileo Galilei's Dialogs Concerning Two New Sciences (New York: Doves, Inc, 1954) in which the concepts of abstraction, modeling, & rigidity are supported & advanced. From this perspective, the stance of Pearson & Fisher can be critically analyzed to show that systematic empiricism is not science, & that the "scientific" tradition in sociology is in need of redirection. Modified AA.