The Challenge of Facts
E53607
"The Challenge of Facts" is an influential essay by American sociologist and classical liberal thinker William Graham Sumner that critiques moralistic interference in social and economic processes and defends empirical, scientific analysis of society.
Statements (45)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
essay
ⓘ
written work ⓘ |
| advocates |
attention to empirical facts over moral rhetoric
ⓘ
non‑interference with spontaneous social order ⓘ scientific method in social inquiry ⓘ |
| aim |
to argue for empirical, scientific study of society
ⓘ
to criticize sentimental and moralistic social reform ⓘ to distinguish facts from moral judgments in social analysis ⓘ |
| associatedWith |
American classical liberal tradition
ⓘ
Yale‑centered intellectual milieu of William Graham Sumner ⓘ |
| author | William Graham Sumner ⓘ |
| authorNationality | American ⓘ |
| authorOccupation |
classical liberal thinker
ⓘ
sociologist ⓘ |
| countryOfOrigin |
United States of America
ⓘ
surface form:
United States
|
| critiques |
moralistic interference in social processes
ⓘ
policy based on moral intuition rather than evidence ⓘ sentimental social reform ⓘ |
| field |
economics
ⓘ
political philosophy ⓘ sociology ⓘ |
| genre |
political philosophy essay
ⓘ
social theory essay ⓘ sociological essay ⓘ |
| hasPerspective |
skeptical of state intervention in the economy
ⓘ
supports freedom of contract and individual responsibility ⓘ |
| influencedBy |
19th‑century liberal thought
ⓘ
classical political economy ⓘ |
| intellectualTradition |
classical liberalism
ⓘ
laissez‑faire economics ⓘ |
| language | English ⓘ |
| mainTopic |
classical liberalism
ⓘ
critique of moralism in policy ⓘ empirical analysis of society ⓘ political economy ⓘ role of facts in social theory ⓘ social and economic processes ⓘ social science methodology ⓘ |
| philosophicalStance |
anti‑paternalism
ⓘ
empiricism in social science ⓘ individualism ⓘ |
| positionHeld |
advocacy of value‑neutral social analysis
ⓘ
critique of moralistic interference in economic life ⓘ defense of scientific method in social science ⓘ support for limited government intervention ⓘ |
Referenced by (1)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.