It may not be possible to use the scientific method in historical research
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Answer:
Explanation:
Historians as a body have done little to clarify the position of their work in relation to science and to scientific method. Their attitude for the most part is that of craftsmen, who are suspicious of theory and are perfectly satisfied with the product of their trade. Social scientists are prepared to manipulate historical data in ways that historians regard as illegitimate. It is impossible to criticize these arguments and assumptions in detail. Nevertheless, it may be questioned whether the underlying dichotomy between “Natur” and “Geist” and between history and natural science, on which they rest, is as compelling as its proponents appear to believe. The historian's position is based on the distinction between the so-called “nomothetic” and the so-called “idiographic” principles. The choice that the historian makes between the idiographic and the nomothetic approach is not imposed upon him by the nature of his materials. It is a purely voluntary choice.