RHETOR 115 Chapter Notes - Chapter 3: Apotheosis, Radiolab, Focus Group
Document Summary
Hypothetical machines: the science fiction dreams of cold war social science. Introspector (the hypothetical machine) used in the research technique of focused interview became the basis for wartime morale research and social science tool of focus group. Essay explores new perspective on cold war social science by comparing one real and one imaginary apparatus. Aim of social science: transform the human, build new penetrating machine, methodological prescriptions and procedural manuals. Merton, as grad student interviewing homeless to keep himself alive, learned how to refine a method for gathering social and human knowledge (lesson in how-in) A zeal in method: interviewing, fieldwork, firsthand observations, projective tests, how to manage data. After cw historiography of american social sciences focused on debunking heroic narratives and uncover concerns over politics, money, professional advancement and other motivators. Should look at the period"s method based literature (often neglected aspect) America itself during cw saw a boom in social science, new name of behavioral sciences .
