Book Reviews and Notices : The Principles of Scientific Research. By PAUL FREEDMAN. (Washington, D. C.: Public Affairs Press. 1950. Pp. xi, 222. $3.25.)
| DOI | 10.1177/106591295100400130 |
| Date | 01 March 1951 |
| Published date | 01 March 1951 |
| Author | George C.S. Benson |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
151
include
the
Revolutionary
era,
the
Constitutional
Convention,
the
great
debates
on
the
nature
of
the
Union,
the
controversies
over
the
New
Deal,
the
international
discussions
during
and
following
World
War
II,
and
more
recently,
foreign
policy
discussions.
In
fact,
our
fundamental
theories
have been
subjected
to
frequent
and
thorough
re-examination.
Professor
Mason
has
given
adequate
emphasis
to
the
critical
periods
when
great
and
lasting
decisions
have
been
made.
He
does
not,
however,
confuse
a
mere
episode
in
history
with
a
significant
epoch,
though
he
does
not
neglect
the
minor
issues
between
the
great
crises,
which,
taken
together,
constitute
our
political
theory.
Most
important
of
all,
he
at
no
time
ignores
the
continuing
thread
in
American
political
thought,
which
makes
the
subject
add
up
to
more
than
the
sum
of
its
parts.
The
political
literature
of
the
opposition
or
minority
is
given
its
true
place
in
the
selection
of
readings.
Few
things
are
&dquo;nailed
down&dquo;
in
a
democracy.
The
&dquo;prevailing
opinion&dquo;
in
jurisprudence
and
the
&dquo;majority
vote&dquo;
in
politics
constitute
neither
the
whole
nor
the
true
story.
Professor
Mason
respects
the
scholar’s
sacred
obligation
to
the
present
and
future
in
presenting
all
major
aspects
of
our
controversial
political
thinking.
Of
special
note
are
the
selections
illustrating
the
period
of
the
Con-
stitutional
Convention
and
immediately
after,
and
the
papers
which
set
forth
the
fundamentals
of
the
great
debate
on
the
social
and
economic
objectives
of
our
democracy.
The
handling
of
the
former
is
often
trite;
of
the
latter,
frequently
maudlin.
Nothing
of
either
appears
here.
Perhaps
this
volume
will
do
much
to
stimulate
greater
interest
in
American
political
thought,
as
well
as
afford
a
better
vehicle
for
instruc,
tion
therein.
University
of
Washirigton.
CHARLES
E.
MARTIN.
The
Principles
of
Scientific
Research.
By
PAUL
FREEDMAN.
(Washington,
D.
C.:
Public
Affairs
Press.
1950.
Pp.
xi,
222.
$3.25.)
This
volume
is
a
relatively
thorough
analysis
of
numerous
aspects
of
scientific
research.
It
begins
with
an
extensive
introduction
to
the
history
of
science,
which
shows
the
slow
development
of
the
four
basic
elements
of
research:
observation,
hypothesis,
experimentation,
and
induction.
A
number
of
these
observations
are
important
to
social scientists.
An
example
is
Pasteur’s
contribution
to
the
development
of
hypothesis
as
a
guide
to
the
assembly
of
evidence.
Another
example
is
Darwin’s
use
of
a
mass
of
systematized
supporting
evidence.
Another
is
Mendel’s
use
of
classi-
ficatory
statistical
method.
Another
point
of
importance
to
social
scientists
is
the
fact
that
much
progress
has
come
to
science
as
a
result
of
interaction
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