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Emergence of the Social Sciences

Social Science: The Study of Society

  • Definition: Social science is the systematic study of various aspects of human society; deals with society and the relationships among people within a society.
  • Scope: Major category of academic disciplines focused on understanding social relationships, institutions, and processes.
  • Historical placement: Established in the 19th century.

Natural Science vs Social Science: Overview

  • Natural Science: Major branch of science describing, predicting, and understanding natural phenomena; relies on observational and empirical evidence.
  • Major branches of Natural Science:
    • Life Science or Biological Science
    • Physical Science: Physics, Astronomy, Chemistry, Earth Science

Social Science vs Natural Science: Similarities

  • Both use the scientific model to gain information.
  • Both rely on empirical and measured data observable by the senses.
  • Theories in both can be tested to yield theoretical statements and general positions.

Social Science vs Natural Science: Differences

  • Natural Science:
    • Emerged during the 16th–17th centuries; tends to deal with objects.
    • Emphasizes exactness, controlled variables, predictability; uses experimental data.
    • Often involves repetitive laboratory experiments and closed systems.
  • Social Science:
    • Arose about 300 years later; deals with subjects (humans).
    • More spontaneous, unpredictable, and uncontrollable; open systems.
    • Uses experiential data; typically involves observation and interaction with people within a community.

Humanities vs Social Science: Overview

  • Humanities: Study of how the human experience is processed and documented.
  • Encompasses philosophy, literature, religion, art, music, history, language.

Humanities vs Social Science: Similarities

  • Both are concerned with human aspects like law, politics, linguistics, economics, and psychology.
  • Both are concerned with human lives and nature.

Humanities vs Social Science: Differences and Development

  • Emergence timeline:
    • Humanities emerged in the 15th century.
    • Social science emerged after the French Revolution and the Industrial Revolution.
  • Methodological approaches:
    • Humanities historically involved a more interpretive and philosophical approach.
    • Social science emphasizes empirical, rational, and objective methodology with validity and reliability tests.
  • Philosophical orientation vs empirical orientation: Humanities more heritage and question of what makes us human; Social science seeks scientific explanations of human behavior and social phenomena.

Functions of the Disciplines

  • Humanities:
    1) To better appreciate the meaning and purpose of the human condition, both broadly and within individuals.
    2) To reveal wisdom, explore big questions, and address challenges in the human condition.
  • Social Sciences:
    1) To analyze, explain, possibly predict and produce new knowledge of factual information.
    2) To generate and produce new knowledge of factual information.

Key Disciplines of Social Sciences

  • Anthropology
  • Economics
  • Geography
  • History
  • Linguistics
  • Political Science
  • Psychology
  • Sociology
  • Demography

ANTHROPOLOGY

  • Etymology: Derived from the Greek words anthropos (human) and logos (word/study).
  • Definition: The study of humans; Anthropologists study humans and their societies in the past and present.
  • Two main fields:
    1) Physical Anthropology
    2) Cultural Anthropology
  • Physical Anthropology: Focuses on the past and present evolution of the human species and understanding causes of present human diversity.
  • Cultural Anthropology: Studies human societies, cultures, and their development.

ECONOMICS

  • Aims: Study how to manage limited resources to satisfy unlimited wants; involves production, consumption, and transfer of goods; examines how people interact with markets to achieve goals.
  • Two major fields:
    1) Microeconomics: The part of economics concerned with single factors and the effects of individual decisions.
    2) Macroeconomics: The part of economics concerned with large-scale or general economic factors (e.g., interest rates, national productivity).
  • Core concepts from slides:
    • Scarcity: Limited resources vs. unlimited wants (illustrated via limited resources such as labor, land, capital, and entrepreneurship).

GEOGRAPHY

  • Definition: Deals with studying the lands and features of the earth.
  • Fields: 1) Systematic Geography
    • 1.1 Physical Geography
    • 1.2 Cultural/Human Geography
      2) Regional Geography
  • Physical Geography: Studies land and water features (e.g., glacier, mountain range, volcano, plateau, basin, canyon, desert, river, lake, inlet, delta, peninsula, archipelago, strait, island).
  • Cultural/Human Geography: Studies cultural aspects found throughout the world and how they relate to spaces/places of origin and travel as people move across areas.

HISTORY

  • Etymology: Derived from the word historia meaning “to inquire” or “to research.”
  • Focus: Evolution of mankind and the events within that evolution; study of the past and its records.
  • Notable quote on history: "History is the bridge that connects the past with the present and future."

LINGUISTICS

  • Definition: Scientific study of languages.
  • Focus: Three aspects of language:
    • Language form
    • Language meaning
    • Language in context

POLITICAL SCIENCE

  • Definition: A social science dealing with the system of governance and the analysis of political activities, political thoughts, and political behavior.
  • Key concern: Theory and practice of politics, especially the distribution of power and resources.

PSYCHOLOGY

  • Definition: The scientific study of the mind and behavior.
  • Schools of psychology (historical/theoretical traditions): Structuralism, Functionalism, Psychodynamic, Behaviorism, Cognitive, Socio-cultural.
  • Major areas:
    • Biopsychology
    • Experimental psychology
    • Developmental and personality psychology
    • Health, clinical and counseling psychology
    • Socio-industrial-organizational (industrial/organizational) psychology
    • Consumer psychology
    • Cross-cultural psychology

SOCIOLOGY

  • Acknowledgement: Included as one of the core social science disciplines; study of social behavior, institutions, and structures; analysis of social bonds, organizations, and changes

DEMOGRAPHY

  • Definition: The study of human population and dynamics.
  • Key components:
    • Population size (actual head count in a given place/location)
    • Population composition (age, sex, religion)
    • Population growth
    • Population distribution

ORIGIN AND DEVELOPMENT OF DISCIPLINES (Summary)

  • Humanities:
    • Emerged in the 15th century.
  • Social Sciences:
    • Emerged after the French Revolution and the Industrial Revolution as a more empirical and rational approach to studying society.
  • Epistemology and methodology:
    • Humanities emphasized philosophical and interpretive analysis.
    • Social sciences emphasize empirical, rational, and objective methods, including validity and reliability testing to present facts.

CONNECTIONS TO FOUNDATIONS AND REAL-WORLD RELEVANCE

  • The social sciences provide frameworks to analyze how societies organize, govern, and evolve.
  • They inform policy-making, law, education, economics, health, and development programs.
  • Interdisciplinary connections: e.g., economics relies on geography for resource distribution; psychology informs education and organizational behavior; anthropology provides context for cultural practices in geography and history.

ETHICAL, PHILOSOPHICAL, AND PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS

  • Balance between empirical evidence and interpretive understanding.
  • Respect for cultural diversity when studying human societies (anthropology, sociology, linguistics).
  • Validity and reliability: social sciences seek objective, testable knowledge while acknowledging complexity of human behavior.
  • Policy relevance: findings can influence social welfare, governance, and economic planning.

REMEMBERED QUOTES AND NOTABLE POINTS

  • History as a bridge: history connects past, present, and future.
  • Terminology recap:
    • Social Science: study of society and relationships among people in a society.
    • Humanities: study of human experiences processed and documented.
    • Anthropology: human-focused, with physical and cultural branches.
    • Economics: scarcity, micro/macro divisions.
    • Geography: physical vs cultural/human, systematic vs regional approaches.

SUMMARY CHECKLIST

  • [ ] Define social science and its scope.
  • [ ] Distinguish social science from natural science and humanities.
  • [ ] Recall the major disciplines within social sciences and their focus.
  • [ ] Understand the micro vs macro split in economics.
  • [ ] Recognize physical vs cultural/human geography and regional geography.
  • [ ] Remember key historical origins and methodological differences.
  • [ ] Note ethical and practical implications of social science research.
  • [ ] Be able to describe how disciplines connect to real-world issues and policy.