Rowman & Littlefield Publishers eBooks
January 1, 2022
Patrick L. Schmidt
7 citations
Patrick L. Schmidt recounts how prominent social scientists in the 1930s, marginalized for pursuing Freudian and Jungian theories, persuaded Harvard to create a new Department of Social Relations. This interdisciplinary department aimed to surpass economics, government, and history but ultimately failed to achieve that goal. Despite this, it attracted outstanding faculty, produced important work, and trained notable graduates. The narrative includes scandals: Timothy Leary and Richard Alpert giving psilocybin to students, and Henry Murray's traumatic experiment on Theodore Kaczynski. Central is Talcott Parsons' obsessive quest for a unified social science theory. The story serves as a cautionary tale of academic infighting, hubris, and scandal.
Rowman & Littlefield Publishers eBooks
January 1, 2022
Patrick L. Schmidt
Patrick L. Schmidt recounts how prominent social scientists in 1930s Harvard, marginalized for pursuing Freudian and Jungian theories, persuaded the university to create a Department of Social Relations. The department aimed to surpass economics, government, and history but ultimately failed that goal. It nonetheless produced notable faculty and graduates. Schmidt details controversial research, including Timothy Leary and Richard Alpert administering psilocybin to students and Henry Murray's three-year experiment that traumatized undergraduate Theodore Kaczynski. Central is Talcott Parsons' obsessive quest for a unified social science theory. The narrative portrays academic infighting, hubris, and scandal.
Rowman & Littlefield Publishers eBooks
January 1, 2022
Patrick L. Schmidt
Patrick L. Schmidt recounts how prominent social scientists in the 1930s, marginalized for pursuing Freudian and Jungian theories, persuaded Harvard to create a Department of Social Relations promising an interdisciplinary science surpassing economics, government, and history. The department failed that goal but produced notable faculty and graduates. Schmidt describes questionable research by Timothy Leary and Richard Alpert (Ram Dass), who gave psilocybin to students, and Henry Murray, who traumatized undergraduate Theodore Kaczynski in a three-year experiment. Central is sociologist Talcott Parsons' obsessive quest for a unified theory of social sciences. The narrative portrays academic infighting, hubris, and scandal.
Rowman & Littlefield Publishers eBooks
January 1, 2022
Patrick L. Schmidt
Patrick L. Schmidt recounts how social scientists at Harvard in the 1930s, marginalized for pursuing Freudian and Jungian theories, established a new Department of Social Relations with the goal of creating an interdisciplinary science surpassing economics, government, and history. The department failed to achieve this ambition but produced notable faculty and graduates. Schmidt describes controversial episodes, including Timothy Leary and Richard Alpert administering psilocybin to students and Henry Murray's three-year experiment that traumatized undergraduate Theodore Kaczynski. Central to the narrative is sociologist Talcott Parsons' obsessive pursuit of a unified theory for the social sciences.
Rowman & Littlefield Publishers eBooks
January 1, 2022
Patrick L. Schmidt
Patrick L. Schmidt recounts how prominent mid-twentieth-century social scientists, marginalized for pursuing Freudian and Jungian theories, persuaded Harvard to create a Department of Social Relations. Though the department failed to surpass Harvard's traditional disciplines, it produced notable scholarship and graduates. The narrative includes controversial episodes: Timothy Leary and Richard Alpert administering psilocybin to students, Henry Murray's traumatic experiment on Theodore Kaczynski, and Talcott Parsons's obsessive quest for a unified social-science theory. The account portrays academic infighting, hubris, and scandal.
Rowman & Littlefield Publishers eBooks
January 1, 2022
Patrick L. Schmidt
Patrick L. Schmidt recounts how mid-twentieth-century social scientists, marginalized for pursuing Freudian and Jungian theories, persuaded Harvard to create a Department of Social Relations. Though the department failed to surpass economics, government, and history, it produced notable faculty and graduates. Controversies included Timothy Leary and Richard Alpert giving psilocybin to students, and Henry Murray's traumatic experiment on Theodore Kaczynski. Central is Talcott Parsons's quest for a unifying social-science theory. The narrative depicts academic infighting, hubris, and scandal.
Rowman & Littlefield Publishers eBooks
January 1, 2022
Patrick L. Schmidt
Patrick L. Schmidt recounts how mid-twentieth-century social scientists at Harvard, marginalized for pursuing Freudian and Jungian theories, persuaded the university to create a new Department of Social Relations. Though it failed to surpass economics, government, and history as promised, the department produced influential faculty and graduates. Schmidt describes controversial episodes, including Timothy Leary and Richard Alpert giving psilocybin to students and Henry Murray's three-year experiment that traumatized undergraduate Theodore Kaczynski. Central to the story is Talcott Parsons' quest for a unified social-science theory. The narrative portrays academic infighting, hubris, and scandal.