Lesson 2: Science and The Social Sciences
Social Sciences
Social sciences is a branch of science that deals with the institutions and functioning of human society and with interpersonal relationships of individuals as members of society.
These are disciplines of academic study that examine different aspects of society.
Society
Society is defined as “people living together in organized communities with shared laws, traditions, and values.
Society is also defined as the people who interact in such a way as to share a common culture.
Society is an organized group of individuals.
Society is always made up of persons and their groupings.
Society cannot exist apart from culture
Science
Science can be deemed as a branch of knowledge and a method of gathering new information
Science is defined as knowledge about or the study of the natural world based on facts learned through experiments and observation
Science refers to the various methods or modes of inquiry utilized in order to obtain that knowledge.
The Scientific Method
The scientific method is the principles and procedures for the systematic pursuit of knowledge
Topic - the researcher selects a particular subject matter depending on his or her interest and it could be purely accidental sometimes
Problem - the researcher defines the nature of the problem where a theory can be developed along the way (without this, the topic cannot be continued)
Hypothesis - the researcher formulates a general statement of the problem (intelligent guess)
Methods of Inquiry/Data Gathering - this is the stage involving the use of instruments (statistics/reviews)
Analysis - the researcher may find relationships that can help in the analysis of the gathered data (interpretation)
Conclusion - the researcher formulates a conclusion after the analysis of data
The natural sciences are sometimes called “the hard sciences”
Social sciences are known as the “soft sciences” for their researchers are leaning on the qualitative side
One may find some overlapping of knowledge on the different disciplines of the two domains
Example: BS in Psychology (math and science), BA in Psychology (humanities and arts)
Present social ills can be effectively addressed by obtaining knowledge from both natural sciences and social sciences
The field of social science may help us understand the complexities of human behavior and relations as it attempts to solve the aforementioned societal problems.
Social Sciences
Social sciences is a branch of science that deals with the institutions and functioning of human society and with interpersonal relationships of individuals as members of society.
These are disciplines of academic study that examine different aspects of society.
Society
Society is defined as “people living together in organized communities with shared laws, traditions, and values.
Society is also defined as the people who interact in such a way as to share a common culture.
Society is an organized group of individuals.
Society is always made up of persons and their groupings.
Society cannot exist apart from culture
Science
Science can be deemed as a branch of knowledge and a method of gathering new information
Science is defined as knowledge about or the study of the natural world based on facts learned through experiments and observation
Science refers to the various methods or modes of inquiry utilized in order to obtain that knowledge.
The Scientific Method
The scientific method is the principles and procedures for the systematic pursuit of knowledge
Topic - the researcher selects a particular subject matter depending on his or her interest and it could be purely accidental sometimes
Problem - the researcher defines the nature of the problem where a theory can be developed along the way (without this, the topic cannot be continued)
Hypothesis - the researcher formulates a general statement of the problem (intelligent guess)
Methods of Inquiry/Data Gathering - this is the stage involving the use of instruments (statistics/reviews)
Analysis - the researcher may find relationships that can help in the analysis of the gathered data (interpretation)
Conclusion - the researcher formulates a conclusion after the analysis of data
The natural sciences are sometimes called “the hard sciences”
Social sciences are known as the “soft sciences” for their researchers are leaning on the qualitative side
One may find some overlapping of knowledge on the different disciplines of the two domains
Example: BS in Psychology (math and science), BA in Psychology (humanities and arts)
Present social ills can be effectively addressed by obtaining knowledge from both natural sciences and social sciences
The field of social science may help us understand the complexities of human behavior and relations as it attempts to solve the aforementioned societal problems.