The Social Sciences in Historical Study: A Report of the Committee for His toriography. (Bulletin No. 64.) Pp. x, 181. New York: Social Science Re search Council, 1954. $2.25 cloth, $1.75 paper

• Author: Willson H. Coates
• DOI: 10.1177/000271625530000159
• Published date: 01 July 1955
• Date: 01 July 1955
• Subject Matter: Articles

163
fine sensitivity to certain aspects of the
have spiraled. Historians have moved from
phenomena of moral experience. His ap-
a concept of their discipline closely analo-
praisal of the habits of mind essential for
gous to that in the natural sciences, through
the pursuit of science is appreciative and
a relativist and skeptical phase, to the
perceptive, and his comments on a variety
affirmative and optimistic view of the &dquo;so-
of historically influential doctrines on the
cial science historian&dquo; as revealed in this
relations of science and moral knowledge
work.
are frequently acute. Moreover, although
The first chapter, written by Mrs. Jean-
he thinks there are limitations in scientific
nette Nichols, surveys the reception given
reason in respect to moral knowledge, he
to the report of the earlier committee in
also refuses to follow current philosophies
Bulletin 54; the last chapter is an adapta-
of irrationalism which renounce the use of
tion of the provocative article by Thomas
intelligence in any form as a guide to
Cochran, published in July 1948, on &dquo;The
moral living.
’Presidential Synthesis’ in American His-
Dr. Fulton’s presentation of his central
tory.&dquo; The five chapters in between con-
theses is nevertheless not convincing. At
stitute the body of this new report, mainly
crucial points his writing has an inspira-
the work of Cochran, Hugh Brockunier,
tional rather than an analytic quality, and
Hugh Aitken, Shepard Clough, and Bert
he never squarely states how the validity
Loewenberg. It is a successful co-opera-
of moral &dquo;insight&dquo; is to be established.
tive venture in summarizing the present
In particular, despite his professed alle-
status of the social sciences and their
giance to &dquo;reason&dquo; as a guide, he nowhere
applicability to history, and in analyzing
explains how, granting the ’inward&dquo; source
the concept of change and the methods of
of moral perceptions, the adequacy of
the historian.
...