WHITAKER'S LAWS OF SOCIAL SCIENCE

Bob Whitaker (bwhit@conterra.com)
Fri, 17 Jan 1997 14:11:06 -0500

WHITAKER'S LAWS OF SOCIAL SCIENCE

Before stating Whitaker's Law, let us quickly review Professor
Isawi's:

"Like the generals trained to fight the last war, social scietists are
fully equipped to recognize ahd deal with those problems that are
already being solved and have given place to difference, and often
opposite, problems: depression in a time when inflation is rife;
individual freedom during a period of anarchy; and minority rights when
the majority feels unable to protest its interests or assert its will."
Charles Issawi, *The Laws of Social Motion*

Whitaker's Laws apply to all social sciences, including sociology and
its wholly owned subsidiary, anthropology:

Whitakers' First Law:

Anything advocated by social science that sounds good is probably
untrue.

Whitaker's Second Law:

Anything advocated by social science that dovetails with trendy
political views is almost certainly untrue.

Whitaker's Third Law:

Anything advocated by social science that claims to be Scientific is
probably
nonsense.

Whitaker's Fourth Law

Anything advocated by social science that sounds good and is
politically trendy is always wrong.

Whitaker's Fifth Law:

Anything advocated by social science that sounds good, is politically
trendy and
claims to be Scientific Truth will be a laughing stock twenty years
later.