The Nature and Goals of Anthropology, Sociology, and Political Science

Social Sciences

last to develop after natural sciences

Social and Political Philosophy

based on theological reasoning due to the dominance of Judeo-Christian Worldview

Philosophy

distinct from science

Social Science

The development of this during the modern period was made possible by several large-scale social upheavals and pivotal events.

A. The Unprecedented growth of Science

B. The Secularization of Learning and Education

C. The Rise of Universities

D. The Dissolution of Feudal Social Relations

E. Trade and Commerce

F. The Rise of Individualism

Development of Social Science (A-F)

Scientific Revolution

Refers to historical changes in THOUGHT and BELIEF, to changes in social and institutional organization.

Nicolas Copernicus (1473-1543)

Scientific revolution began with _________ and unfolded in Europe roughly between 1550-1700s.

Isaac Newton (1643-1727)

Culminated with his proposal on the universal laws of motion and a mechanical model of the universe.

17th century

saw the rapid development in the sciences

Francis Bacon

Established the supremacy of reason over imagination.

discovery of gravity by Isaac Newton and the mathematization of physics and astrology

paved the way for the dominance of science and mathematics in describing and explain the world and its nature

Modern period

marked the growing triumph of scientific method over religious dogma and theological thinking

Age of Enlightenment

challenged the use of metaphysics or the quest for absolute truth derived mainly from theological tradition and unchallenged the authority of church

Immanuel Kant

Age of Enlightenment was led by which philosopher

Immanuel Kant

advocated the use of reason in order to know the nature of the world and human beings

Medieval Period

In this period, universities relied mainly on religious tradition and the Bible to explain the nature of the Universe and the place of human beings in the grand scheme of things.

Modern Universities

started to rely on science and its method to interpret the world

Max Weber

one of the leading figure in modern sociology, described this process as Rationalism

Rationalism

social life is more subjected to calculation and prediction

Calculation and Prediction

can only be achieved if human beings and society rely on regularities established by modern science

Education

most important factor in the rise of social sciences

The Growth of the Universities/Rise of Universities

This also contributed to the triumph of science.

intensification of commerce and trade in the 17th century

Many medieval guilds or workers’ cooperatives were dissolved and absorbed into the emerging factory system. What is the reason?

Ferdinand Tonnies (1855-1936)

a German Sociologist, lamented away the passing away of community (a.k.a. gemeinschaft) because of urbanization

Ferdinand Tonnies (1855-1936)

He explained how the modern way of life had drastically changed the way people relate to one another.

traditional communities

people had warm relationships with the member of the community

modern cities (gesellschaft)

people gave way to cold and calculate social relationships

As capitalist replaced agricultural economy

people began to see their relationships with each other as mere economic transactions rather than as a form of personal relationship

18th century

In this century, trade and commerce greatly accelerated

Charles Tilly

a historian, believed that this was one of the major factors in the large-scale change in European History that also determined largely the direction of the social sciences

intensification of commerce and trade

gradually replaced the barter with the introduction of money and banking system

Money economy

transformed individuals to autonomous consumers who were released form attachment to local context and tradition

Industrial Capitalism

the creation of people who are no longer relied on traditional norms and prevailing culture

Anthropology

relates to sociology, it always describes human, human behavior and human societies around the world

Anthropology

means scientific study of man or human beings

middle of the nineteenth century

Anthropology emerged as a district branch of scholarship around what century, (when public interest in human evolution took hold)

Darwin’s evolutionary theory

Many pioneers of Anthropology built a universal model of cultural development pattered according to

Darwin’s evolutionary theory

locates all societies in the linear evolutionary process

Franz Boaz (1858-1942)

Considered the father of modern anthropology. He was the first to have rejected the biological basis of racism or racial discrimination.

Franz Boaz (1858-1942)

He rejected the popular Western idea of social evolution or the development of societies from lower to higher forms.

Historical Particularism

Franz Boaz rejected the popular Western idea of social evolution or the development of societies from lower to higher forms influenced by Darwin in favor of _______.

Historical Particularism

In this doctrine, the society is considered as having a unique form of culture that cannot be subsumed under an overall definition of general culture.

Bronislaw Kasper Malinowski

Based on his field study, he developed what is social scientists now call as participant observation. He is also considered as the most influential ethnographers in the 20th century.

Participant Observation

A method of social science research that requires the anthropologists to have the ability to participate and blend with the way of life of a given group of people.

Alfred Reginald Radcliffe- Brown (1881-1955)

He viewed individuals as mere products of social structures.

Alfred Reginald Radcliffe- Brown (1881-1955)

Was an English social anthropologist who developed the theory of structural functionalism.

1. Historical Perspective

2. Structural-Functional Perspective

3. Social-Conflict Perspective

4. Symbolic-Interaction Perspective

Different Perspectives of Culture and Society

Historical Perspective

Current and future human and forest landscape conditions are influenced by the cumulative, unfolding history of social-ecological interactions. Examining past system responses, especially unintended consequences, can reveal valuable insights that promote learning and adaptation.

Structural-Functional Perspective

Members share sets of rules and values and maintains a balance harmonious system. It also recognizes that our lives are guided by social structures.

Social-Conflict Perspective

This is a framework for building theory that envisions society as an arena of inequality that generates conflict and change. The approach views class conflicts and class exploitation as the prime moving force in mankind’s history, and that the struggle for power and wealth as a continuous process between and among categories of people.

Symbolic-Interaction Perspective

This paradigm is a theoretical framework that envisions society as the product of the everyday interactions of individuals. This paradigm includes such other approaches as dramaturgy, ethno methodology and social exchange.

Sociology

the study of human social relationships and institutions

Sociology

its subject matter is diverse, ranging from crime to religion, from the family to the state, from the divisions of race and social class to the shared beliefs of a common culture, and from social stability to radical change in whole societies

Sociology

its purpose is to understand how human action and consciousness both shape and are shaped by surrounding cultural and social structures

Sociology

a branch of the social sciences that deals with the scientific study of human interactions, social groups and institutions, whole societies, and the human world as such

Sociology

the study that studies that relationships b/w the individual and society as they develop and change in history. It does not only study the existing social forms of interactions but also pursue the investigation of the immergence of stable structures that sustain such interactions

1. August Comte

2. Harriet Martineau

3. Karl Marx

4. Emile Durkheim

5. Max Weber

Pioneers in Sociology

August Comte (1798 - 1857)

A French philosopher and the founding father of sociology, He coined the term “sociology” but he originally used the “social physics” as a term for sociology. Its aim is to discover the social laws that govern the development of societies. His sociology has always been associated with positivism or the social school of thought that says that the science and its method is the only valid way of knowing things.

Harriet Martineau (1802 -1876)

A writer, ethnographer, political economist, and sociologist. She is considered the “mother” of sociology. In her accounts expressed in How to Observe Morals and Manners (1838), the deep sociological insights that we now call as ethnographic narratives are fully expressed

Karl Marx (1818 -1883)

Contributed to the development of sociology. He introduced the materialist analysis of history which discounts religious and metaphysical (spiritual) explanation for historical development.

Emile Durkheim (1858 - 1917)

He was responsible for defending sociology as an in depended discipline from psychology. He argued that society possesses a reality sui generis (that is, its own kind, or a class by itself, unique) independent of individuals and institutions that compose it. He famously argued that society pre-existed the individuals and will continue to exist long after the individual is dead.

Max Weber (1864 - 1920)

He stressed the role of rationalization in the development of society. Foe Weber, rationalization refers essentially to the disenchantment of the world. As science began to replace religion, people also adopted a scientific or rational attitude to the world.

Political Science

a social science that deals with humans and their interactions. It is a branch of sociology; it essentially deals with the large-scale actions of humans, and group mentality. It deals with the study of politics, power, and government.

Politics

the process of making collective decisions in a community, society, or group through the application of influence and power

Culture

An umbrella term which encompasses the social behaviour and norms found in human societies, as well as the knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, customs, capabilities, and habits of the individuals in these groups.

Culture

The arts and other manifestations of human intellectual achievement regarded collectively.

Culture

The characteristics and knowledge of a particular group of people, encompassing language, religion, cuisine, social habits, music and arts.

Colere

Culture derives from a French term, which in turn derives from what Latin word?

Colere

means to tend to the earth and grow, or cultivation and nurture

Material Culture and Non-material Culture

Two primary categories of Culture

Material Culture

composed of the Physical or tangible objects produced, shared, and utilized within society

Non-material Culture

consist of the intangible properties and elements of the society that influence the patterns of behaviors and actions of its members

Culture

Refers to the set of beliefs, ideas, values, practices, knowledge, history and shared experiences, attitudes, as well as material and non-material objects and possessions accumulated over time and shared by the members of the society

Culture

made up of the values, beliefs, underlying assumptions, attitudes, and behaviours shared by a group of people

Culture

the behavior that results when a group arrives at a set of—generally unspoken and unwritten—rules for how they will work together

1. Culture is Everything

   • Culture is Shared

   • Culture is Learned

2. Culture affects Biology

3. Culture is Adaptive

4. Culture is Maladaptive

5. Culture Changes

Characteristics of Culture

Culture is Everything

It is what a person has, does and think as part of society. This covers all of a person’s belief systems, set of behaviors, and material possessions. (Characteristics of Culture)

Culture is Shared

This implies that a particular behavior cannot be considered as part of culture if there is only one person practicing it. Culture is shared is intra and inter-generational. (Characteristics of Culture)

Culture is Learned

Culture is a set of beliefs, attitudes and practices that an individual learns through his or her family, school, church, and other social institutions. (Characteristics of Culture)

Diffusion

the spread of culture from one society to another

Culture affects Biology

Humans are born into cultures that have values on beauty and body. As such, they alter their bodies to fit physiological norms that are dictated by their culture.

Culture is Adaptive

Culture is a tool for survival that humans use in response to the pressures of their environment.

Culture is Maladaptive

People when manifesting a set of cultural practices, fail to adapt to the environmental changes leads to mal-adaptation.

Culture Changes

Culture is never static. This dynamism of culture is due to the changing needs of man as they interpret and survive in their environment.

A. Symbols

B. Language

C. Norms

D. Values

E. Artifacts

Major Elements of Culture

Symbols

It refers to things that convey meaning or represent an idea. They are essential in communication, shaping thoughts and ideas, and defining a society’s culture.

Symbols

Basis of Culture

Symbols

an object, word, or action that stands for something else with no natural relationship that is culturally defined

Cultural Symbolism

Everything one does throughout their life is based and organized through __________.

Symbolism

when something represents abstract ideas or concepts

Language

Always carries meanings and references beyond itself: The meanings of a particular language represent the culture of a particular social group.

170

how many indigenous languages are there in the Philippines

Norms

something that is usual, typical, or standard

Norms

most commonly defined as rules or expectations that are socially enforced

Prescriptive and Proscriptive

Two types of Norms

Prescriptive

encouraging positive behaviour; for example, “be honest”

Proscriptive

discouraging negative behaviour; for example, “do not cheat”

Norms

a guideline or an expectation for behaviour

Values

are a person's or society's beliefs about good behavior and what things are important

Artifiacts

An object made by a human being, typically an item of cultural or historical interest. Something observed in a scientific investigation or experiment that is not naturally present but occurs as a result of the preparative or investigative procedure