My project is
about the methodology of the social sciences. It specifically deals with the
political philosopher Leo Strauss and his book Natural Right and History (1953), which contains his criticism of
Max Weber. I got interested in this project after doing a research paper last
fall semester for my sociological methods course. The paper was about the
social science methodology of Max Weber, and how his methodology was
interpreted by the sociologist Talcott Parsons and social scientist Alfred
Schutz. I had already been interested in the philosophy of science, but this
paper got me really interested in methodology of social science specifically.
I see my project
as being related to my long-term goals because I am really interested in
developing a more fully integrated, multi-disciplinary approach to social
science. I hope to have some type of career related to academia, and I think
that this work has been a great way to begin to step into that world.
On a weekly
basis, I do a lot of reading. I have stacks of books on my desk with markers at
different places in them. There is so much material and controversy around Leo
Strauss. On top of that, his writing is very subtle and difficult to interpret.
And it is even harder to write about. So I feel like I have had to try to be
exposed to almost everything that he has done and everything that has been said
about it. This is of course an impossible task, but without having the broadest
possible view, I didn’t feel as confident talking about him. I now am confident
that I have enough of an overview of his work to understand the parts of his
thought that I need to. But my weeks were filled with lots and lots of reading
of primary and secondary sources, and also with lots of writing. I write by
hand and on the computer. I usually draft things by hand, and then copy and
amend this draft by copying it onto the computer.
One thing that I
discovered this week was how Strauss’ approach to the social sciences relates
to empirical social science. I think that Strauss offers an approach that
augments, not replaces, empirical science. I think that empirical science
retains its full importance for Strauss. What his approach does is help to
formulate more effective empirical approaches by emphasizing the importance of
ethical criteria in the “pre-scientific” understanding of the world.
