This has nothing to do with fighting - just history. I've been placed in a debate next week in a history seminar next week in which I have to argue that the use of 'concepts and models' is a bad historical practice.
The problem is I have no idea what the fuck a concept or a model is. Im guessing the former is for example 'totlitarianism' or 'socialism' or some sheeot.
Help me out here.
Talk to a math professor who specializes in Applied Math.
Passing along:
This is way too late for the guy who started the thread, but here is some background on the "concepts and models" approach to history.
http://www.muellerscience.com/ENGLISH/engl.Modellvortrag2000.htm
The problem with history by modeling is that individual events don't happen for general reasons. Instead, they happen for specific reasons. To give an example, Judo Club A started at a church in Hometown, USA, on such-and-such a date. Why? The reason might have been as prosaic as Mr. A, a judoka, just got a new job in Hometown, and the local church had some space available two nights a week that could be used for judo training. (Concept and model.) However, until we research closely, we won't know. After all, it is possible that the local church specifically sent for a judo teacher. (Separate concept and model.) Or, perhaps the new pastor was a judo teacher. (Third concept and model.) Or there might have been some other reason (or even congeries of reasons). (Additional concepts and models.)
Bottom line? The purpose of sociology is to determine the general themes, while the purpose of history is to determine what happened, and why. Thus, a reasonable debate point would be that modeling represents good sociology, but poor history.