ABSTRACT
Our ancestors, faced with a problem, were likely to consult a priest, an oracle, some hopefully wise old neighbour, custom, holy writ. That reference to authority persists. But we are as likely to engage in or look to research. Here the concern is with research that is published. That still leaves an overlap with filling in a tax form and peeking over the garden fence. Further, that overlap is a clue to the limitations that are the subject of this book. Social research is about humans investigating humans. That raises philosophical as well as technical problems. It also means that the motivations to research are often mixed up, particularly the urge to discover new knowledge, to benefit humanity and to raise awareness of injustice.
