Toward a Methodology for Mere Mortals

Abstract

Statistical Models and Shoe Leather will be very difficult for most quantitative sociologists to accept. It goes to the heart of their empirical enterprise and in so doing, puts entire professional careers in jeopardy. It also gives no comfort to thoughtful empirical sociologists who make little use of numbers, since the issues raised go well beyond the uncritical use of regression routines in SAS or SPSS. What is needed, therefore, is a brief series of clarifications and expansions that anticipate efforts to wriggle off Freedman's hook. It will also prove useful to suggest other issues for which a lot more thought is necessary.