McIntyre, Lee. Dark Ages: The Case for a Science of Human Behavior.

• Author: Blaser, Kent
• Position: Book review

McIntyre, Lee. Dark Ages: The Case for a Science of Human Behavior. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 2006. xx + 144 pages. Cloth $24.95.

Dark Ages is a slender but ambitious book that tackles a number of large and complex issues. The basic argument is this: The scientific revolution of the past four centuries is the great accomplishment of human history, a "success story of unparalleled proportions" (p. 96) that gave modern humans previously unimaginable technology and mastery over the natural and physical universe. In our understanding of human behavior, however, we remain mired in a social-scientific Dark Age. While an increasing number of contemporary problems are of social origin, our understanding of and ability to ameliorate war, poverty, racism, genocide, intolerance, and crime have remained stagnant. What we need is a "social science" revolution comparable to the earlier one in natural science, which would equally dramatically expand the miracle of science for the betterment of humanity. Such a second scientific revolution, McIntyre maintains, is readily achievable.

Why has this not already happened? McIntyre rejects the idea that there are inherent features of social science that make it more difficult or problematic than traditional science. Some of the blame can be placed on society at large for being unwilling to promote and pay heed to a true science of human behavior. Just as entrenched groups and institutions that were threatened by the original scientific revolution offered strong resistance, a true social science will also encounter powerful opposition. But the primary problem lies with social scientists themselves, who have consistently allowed their religious and political ideologies to overshadow a real commitment to scientific progress. Modern social science is a "dismal failure" (p. 3), not because of the difficulty or complexity of the undertaking, but simply because most social scientists lack the courage, or even the desire, to abandon their prejudices and biases and adopt a truly scientific approach to understanding human behavior.

Dark Ages is written with the passion of a true believer, and it has important messages and reminders for social scientists. McIntyre's commitment to the use of social science in the service of humanity is obvious and impressive. A truly scientific social science, he writes, is "our best hope for salvation" (p. 100). It would be hard to find someone more dedicated to the proposition that "Ye...