ABSTRACT
This chapter proposes two new stages of inquiry, to form a bridge between quantitative and qualitative methods: morphology and part/whole theory. These stages depend upon and extend the scientific work of Goethe and Wittgenstein's approach to philosophy. Inquiry develops best if there is rapid movement between theory and data, between deduction and induction. In actual practice, this movement means using top- down and bottom-up strategies, rather than the current division of labor between theorists and researchers. The chapter suggests that the separation between qualitative and quantitative work is a product of excessive specialization, and gives examples of part/whole research that unifies disciplines, methods, and levels of analysis. In his analysis, E. Durkheim took two important steps: he formulated an abstract theory of suicide, and he gathered data that supported his theory. In combining these two steps into a single study, he invented social science.
