Aiken Attacks 'East and West' Theory; Social Sciences Analyzed by Kluckhohn

Social Sciences are still in a pre-Copernican stage of development," Clyde C. M. Kluckhohn, professor of Anthropology, told a Littauer Auditorium meeting of the Students' Association of Natural and Social Sciences last night.

Professor Kluckhohn charged that he is "opposed to social scientists who want to run off and reform the world with half-baked theories."

"Social Sciences are midway between natural science and the humanities, and their methods must be both participative and objective," he said. He stated that their method of work is to specify what their procedure will be and to carry through in their studies.

Literature is Valuable

Professor Kluckhohn pointed out that the works of Proust offer insight on human behavior and that the books of Alexis de Tocqueville are invaluable in formulating general theories of social science.

"Social Sciences aren't complex; only their terminology is confusing. The cards have been shuffled and there is a glimmer of hope that general principles will soon appear," he said.

Moderator Bart J. Bok, professor of Astronomy, spoke in place of Professor Bridgman, whose illness kept him away.