“Evidence is a deeply thoughtful, original take on the relationship between our ideas, the observations we make, and our ways of figuring out how we know what we are talking about. Becker breathes new life into an important tradition that has been overshadowed—thinking about methodology in terms of the practical organization of data gathering, alongside the practical ends we may not suspect, but that end up black-boxed as ‘objective’ data.”
— Iddo Tavory, author of Summoned
“Becker calls Evidence a book he’s been writing for the seventy years of his professional life as a distinguished social scientist and— dare one say?— philosopher. For, beyond being a handbook for doing—and understanding— research, this is a guide to seeking the truth of day to day lives. No social scientist, humanist, or philosopher could imagine a better time for its appearance given the rise of reckless demagogic claims for a ‘post-truth’ age and their disparagement not just of science but democracy and our shared humanity."
— Michael Joyce, author of Foucault, in Winter, in the Linnaeus Garden
“With Evidence, Becker has written another must-read book for students and experienced sociologists, as well as also for all of those who do not yet understand how and why the sociology is a real science.”
— Liens Socio
"Evidence is thoughtful account on how to do social science research and should be read by those who engage in such work. Becker shows the importance of thinking about the practical aspects of methodology in collecting data and transforming it into evidence. In a world of fake news and anti-vaccination rhetoric, there is no timelier book than Evidence to show us how to think through these and other issues."
— VoegelinView