Comparison in the work of Reinhard Bendix

Discussions of modes of analysis, as well as the received wisdom about,whic h categories to place scholars in, often obscure the breadth and nature of inquiry a particular figure engaged in. This examination of Reinhard Bendix 's various uses of comparison suggests that, beyond the sociohistorical com parison he was known for one should also consider his reflexive works, his work on the role of social science and claims for knowledge, and his reflec tions on the history of ideas, the need for conceptual clarification of ter ms, and the search for regularities and universals.