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Ungefähre Exaktheit: theoretische Grundlagen und praktische Möglichkeiten einer Formulierung historischer Quellen als Produkte 'unscharfer' Systeme [1984]
Approximate Precision: Theoretic Foundations and Practical Possibilities for the Definition of Historical Sources as Products of 'Fuzzy' Systems
[journal article]
Abstract The distrust many historians show when confronted with the results of quantitative studies is partially related to the experience, that many decisions which go into the preparation of historical sources for quantitative analysis are much more definite and final than the many uncertainties surroundin... view more
The distrust many historians show when confronted with the results of quantitative studies is partially related to the experience, that many decisions which go into the preparation of historical sources for quantitative analysis are much more definite and final than the many uncertainties surrounding the meaning of terminology and statements in such sources actually justify. This is correct, but it is directed at the current stage of statistical studies, not at the nature of quantitative or formal reasoning as such. Fuzzy logic and fuzzy systems provide approaches, which could be harnessed to adapt statistical reasoning to the inherent uncertainties of historical data. The paper outlines the way in which this could be implemented with the help of examples drawn from the applications of statistics to social history.... view less
Keywords
statistical analysis; quantitative method; computer science; historian; quantification; source analysis; epistemology; science of history; social history
Classification
General History
Natural Science and Engineering, Applied Sciences
Free Keywords
digital humanities; fuzzy logic; epistemology
Document language
German
Publication Year
2017
Page/Pages
p. 138-159
Journal
Historical Social Research, Supplement (2017) 29
Issue topic
From History to Applied Science in the Humanities
DOI
https://doi.org/10.12759/hsr.suppl.29.2017.138-159
ISSN
0936-6784
Status
Published Version; peer reviewed