Plausible Worlds: Possibility and Understanding in History and the Social Sciences

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Geoffrey Hawthorn (University of Cambridge)

Plausible Worlds

Possibility and Understanding in History and the Social Sciences

Geoffrey Hawthorn (University of Cambridge)

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English

Cambridge University Press
17 January 1994

History: theory & methods; Philosophy; Social & political philosophy

Possibilities haunt history.

The force of our explanations of events turns on the alternative possibilities those explanations suggest.

It is these possible worlds that give us our understanding; and in human affairs, we decide them by practical rather than theoretical judgment.

In this widely acclaimed account of the role of counterfactuals in explanation, Geoffrey Hawthorn deploys extended examples to defend his argument.

His conclusions cast doubt on existing assumptions about the nature and place of theory, and indeed of the possibility of knowledge itself, in the human sciences.

By: Geoffrey Hawthorn (University of Cambridge)
Imprint: Cambridge University Press
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 216mm, Width: 136mm, Spine: 12mm
Weight: 227g
ISBN: 9780521457767
ISBN 10: 0521457769
Pages: 208
Publication Date: 17 January 1994
Audience: Professional and scholarly , Undergraduate
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

1. Counterfactuals, explanation and understanding; 2. Plague and fertility in early modern Europe; 3. The United States in South Korea; 4. Duccio's painting; 5. Explanation, understanding and theory.

Reviews for Plausible Worlds: Possibility and Understanding in History and the Social Sciences

'Hawthorn's Plausible Worlds is not only a good read, filled with all sorts of fascinating information, but a book that raises very large and interesting questions about the nature of explanation in the human sciences. I found his answers to the questions persuasive.' Richard Rorty 'This volume is a marvelously stimulating and thought provoking work. It ought to be on the reading lists of advanced courses on both the theory and the methodology of history writing.' Allan Megill, American Historical Review