The singular sacrificed: Human sciences, then and now

Abstract

At the time the human sciences emerged, the study of the singular was a priority. Scientific knowledge –it was clear– was not simply measurement. Quantitative methods were not enough to understand human life, history, or culture. Paying attention to the events of what has been once was recognized as part of scientific endeavor. However, in their development during the 20th and 21st centuries, the human sciences have often sacrificed conceiving the singular to focus on those approximations made possible by quantitative methods. Perhaps philosophy can still help us to name and think about the singular.