Willer, David

Willer, David (b. 1937) is a theorist and researcher whose work exemplifies the use of formal methods for theory construction and experimental methods for testing derived predictions. His first book, Scientific Sociology: Theory and Method (1967), emphasized building models of social phenomena using systems of mathematical equations, and meticulous investigation aimed at developing and applying scientific laws to society. The work contended that such laws are not found by generalizing from empirical findings, a theme developed further in Systematic Empiricism: Critique of a PseudoScience (Willer and Willer 1973). This book developed a historically grounded analysis of empiricism and science. Its fundamental assertion was that sociology is a pseudoscience because of its reliance on empirical generalizations in lieu of abstract, general theories.

Believing that sociology could be ...