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William Fielding Ogburn
(29 Jun 1886 - 13 Apr 1929)
American sociologist, statistician and educator who studied social changes due to technological advances. He applied statistical analysis to issues in social sciences. He was known for his idea of “cultural lag” to describe cultural shifts.
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Science Quotes by William Fielding Ogburn (1 quote)
Never look for a psychological explanation unless every effort to find a cultural one has been exhausted.
— William Fielding Ogburn
Final summary statement of his lectures on psychological aspects of culture. As quoted by Margaret Mead (who was a student of Benedict), in Ruth Benedict, 'Search: 1920-1930', An Anthropologist at Work (1959, 2011), 16. Mead explains: “‘Psychological’ referred to the innate, generic characteristics of the mind; ‘cultural’ referred to the behavior learned as a member of a given society.”
In science it often happens that scientists say, 'You know that's a really good argument; my position is mistaken,' and then they would actually change their minds and you never hear that old view from them again. They really do it. It doesn't happen as often as it should, because scientists are human and change is sometimes painful. But it happens every day. I cannot recall the last time something like that happened in politics or religion.
(1987) -- 
