Abstract

Professor Micheli's systematic unfolding of the concept of "Gestalt switch" and its use to outline different definitions of context, linked to different theories of action, speaks for itself. Rather than discussing it further, I focus on other ideas in his paper dealing with the nature of social science and of social scientific knowledge - ideas which seem to me to need more widespread recognition. These deal with: truth; disunity; variable analysis; abduction. I also comment on two ideas whose discussion - or at least mention - I would have welcomed: biology and human behavior; purpose of investigation as a criterion for judging the quality of scientific knowledge.