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Articles

Incredibly Different and Amazingly Similar

A Debate on the (Im)possibility of Scientific Research in the Human Sciences

Pages 102-111
Published online: 28 Dec 2017
 
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The authors (father and daughter) debate the necessity for and the (im)possibility of scientific research in the human sciences. As a researcher, the daughter (E) completed her PhD thesis on a study of the effectiveness of online treatment for depression. The father (A) has always doubted the claim of human scientists that they were able to explain, predict, and control human behavior. The conclusion about whether to do scientific research in the human sciences or not is, to paraphrase the Dodo bird from Lewis Carroll’s (1865/1962) Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, “Both win and both deserve prizes!”

Additional information

Author information

Anne de Graaf

Author Biographies
Anne de Graaf, MA, Teaching and Supervising Transactional Analyst (organizational), is co-owner, general director, and trainer at the Dutch TA Academy. Together with Bill Cornell, Trudi Newton, and Moniek Thunnissen, he coauthored a new introduction to TA titled Into TA: A Comprehensive Textbook on Transactional Analysis. He has also coauthored and coedited other TA books, including Einstein and the Art of Sailing and Climate Change in Organisations. Anne can be reached at Burgemeester Dolmanslaan 26, 3604 CB Maarssen, Netherlands; email: ; website: www.ta-academie.nl.

Esther de Graaf

Esther de Graaf, PhD, completed her doctoral thesis called On the Digital Road to Recovery? Assessment, Theory, and Treatment of Depression Via the Internet in 2009. She has published almost 20 articles about depression and its treatment and has worked as a lecturer at the Erasmus Medical Centre. She has been involved in the development, coordination, and facilitation of education in the area of communication skills, professional behavior, and personal development. She recently started working as an educational advisor for Avans University of Applied Sciences. Esther can be reached at Avans University of Applied Sciences, ATGM, PO Box 90.116 Breda, Netherlands; email: .
 

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