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Valid and Invalid Alternatives to Social Science

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The Scientific Study of Society
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Abstract

Some people have a talent for discerning that certain things which appear to be dissimilar are in fact similar or even the same. Other people emphasise the opposite side of the coin and take pride in showing that certain things which are often taken to be the same are in fact different. Both can be valuable discoveries. Usually the most appropriate and realistic stance is to note that certain methods, or disciplines, or subjects, which is what we are discussing now, are similar in some respects and different in others. The fact that things have much in common does not make them the same. The differences may be very important for some purposes.

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© 2003 Springer Science+Business Media New York

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Steuer, M. (2003). Valid and Invalid Alternatives to Social Science. In: The Scientific Study of Society. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4757-6791-9_3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4757-6791-9_3

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4419-5328-5

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4757-6791-9

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

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