The operation called Verstehen.

Abstract

The postulate of Verstehen is the main argument of social theorists who assert the existence of a dichotomy between the physical and the social sciences. An analysis of the operation of Verstehen shows that it does not provide new knowledge and that it cannot be used as a means of verification. Lacking the fundamental attributes of scientific method, even though it does perform some auxiliary functions in research, the fact of Verstehen cannot be used to validate the assumption of a dichotomy of the sciences.