The Poverty of Historicism

The Poverty of Historicism is a critique of the idea that society and history follow fixed, predictable laws. It argues that trying to understand social change through rigid laws is flawed because history is shaped by unique, unpredictable human actions and complex developments. This viewpoint emphasizes that social sciences cannot be as precise as natural sciences since human behavior and cultural factors are too variable. Consequently, believing in absolute historical laws underestimates the complexity and creativity involved in social change, making scientific prediction in history unreliable.