870901 ae
Dear Bob- \ ye
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To your "Some thoughts" of 870827.

My main comment is to ask you not to confuse
sociological autobiography with the productions of
sociologists, though there is doubtless a more than
coincidental overlap. (I see you do make that point
at the end.)

Shortly before you were telefaxing me, I was
dining at the Ken Arrows, and quizzing Bernard Siegel
whether he thought Joe Greenberg had written an
"anthropological" memoir (in the Ann Rev Anthro.) It
is a particularly congenial self-account, but we
agreed “Perhaps, no". Few scientists write
scientifically rigorous accounts; though the paucity
of self-revelation in the accounts of writers in the
more "physical" Ann. Revs. is striking. (Did you know
I was writing the introduction to Vol. III of the
Excitement and Fascination of Science"?)

Re my collaboration with Harriet (and
yourself), the process was a bit subtler than your
article makes out. It began as you described, but
each of us internalized a great deal of what the other
brought to the collaboration. Harriet learned a great
deal of the science (and its history); and I can
certainly testify how much I learned from you both.
The more reason for such efforts!

io
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Re > Rem.

WY qt

“y i ‘ 4