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EMERGENCE OF THE

SOCIAL SCIENCES
Understanding the Domain of the
Social Sciences

SOCIAL SCIENCE 1: Disciplines and Ideas in the


Social Sciences

Aurora State College of Technology Senior High


School
Instructor: Dianne E. Disabille
Aristotle: “Man is a social animal.”
• We belong to a particular group and
we share a certain territory.
• We interact with another and build
relationships in the hope of pursuing
a better life.
• We may share a distinct culture,
same political dynamics, or similar
institutions.
• There is a need to study society in
order for us to provide explanations
on its workings and to understand a
wide array of phenomena that
baffles the human mind.
• Observable results may help in
predicting human behavior and
guide people in formulating the
necessary measures that could solve
societal problems.
THE HUMAN
KNOWLEDGE
Knowledge – everything that we know
Human Knowledge Can be Divided into 4 Broad
Categories:
1. Natural Sciences – aims to explain and
predict various phenomena in nature such
as cellular composition, atomic particles,
weather conditions, earthquake patterns,
etc. Some disciplines include biology,
physics, chemistry, geology, meteorology,
astronomy, etc
2. Social Sciences – subjects that relate to
the foundation, establishment and growth
THE HUMAN
KNOWLEDGE
3.Humanities – comprised the
different branches of knowledge
that tend to humanize humans as
they express themselves in various
forms. These include art and art
history, literature, theatre, music,
etc
4.Applied Professions – pertains to
the applied professions wherein
there involves a practical
application of knowledge drawn
out from other branches.
TERM
S
Domain – a sphere of knowledge, influence
or activity
Discipline – a particular branch of learning
or body of knowledge such as physics,
sociology, and history.
Empiricism – the view that all rationally
acceptable beliefs or propositions are
justifiable or knowable only through
experience.
Society – came from the Latin word societas
that was derived from the noun socius
meaning comrade, friend or ally. People in
general thought of living together in
organized communities with shared laws,
Science – came from the Latin word scientia
meaning knowledge; a body of knowledge
organized in a logical manner and the method
by which that knowledge is obtained.
- knowledge about or study of the natural
world based on facts learned through
experiments and observations. (M-W
Dictionary).
- also refers to the various methods or
modes of inquiry utilized in order to obtained
that knowledge.
- science is oftentimes associated with
matter, chemicals, plants, motions,
constellations, etc. It should be noted that it
Data – empirical evidence or
information that one gathers
carefully according to rules or
procedures.
Quantitative – collecting in the
forms of numbers, such as
experiments. Surveys, statistics
Qualitative – collecting data in
the form of words or pictures,
such as field research
IMPORTANT CHARACTERISTICS
OF SCIENCE
CHARACTERIST EXPLANATION
ICS
Empirical A phenomenon should be
observable using the different
senses
Propositional Things are explained in the form
of statements or generalizations
Logical Employs the rules of logic in
order to validate inferences
Public Ideas are communicated from
one scientist to another
Problem-Solving Presents rational explanations
about unexplained observations
Continuous Knowledge is built upon by
When someone tries to explain and
describe our society and the
relationships we have with other
people, he or she may be dealing
with the social sciences as an
academic field of study. Broadly
speaking, social sciences involve the
study of society and the many
ways people behave and affect the
THE SCIENTIFIC METHOD

Historically speaking human have developed,


various means to solve problems that may have
existed or confronted them since the beginning
of time. These include the appeal of the divine
power, authority, intuition, tradition, pure logic,
and common sense. However, modern-day
research provides us a more efficient way of
gaining knowledge and solving problems
through scientific method.
By way of scientific method, we are able to
generate knowledge about the universe, earth,
humans, plants, animals, and other life forms.
TOPIC. The researcher selects a
particular subject matter depending on
his or her interest. It could be purely
accidental sometimes.

PROBLEM. The researcher defines the


nature of the problem where a theory can
be developed along the way, this is the
most important phase of inquiry.

HYPOTHESIS. The researcher formulates


a general statement of the problem that
could give him or her an idea on what
data to gather or omit.
METHODS OF INQUIRY/DATA GATHERING.
This is the stage of empirical research involving
the use of senses and/or precision instruments;
phenomenon must be carefully and accurately
described and recorded.

ANALYSIS. The researcher may find patterns


and relationships that could help in the
analysis of gathered data; this is the stage of
classifying and organizing data.

CONCLUSION. The researcher formulates a


scientific theory after a thorough analysis of
data; a theory can be changed or revised
depending on the result of future research
projects.
THE SOCIAL SCIENCES VIS-À-VIS THE NATURAL
SCIENCES

N AT U R A L S C I E N C E S SOCIAL SCIENCES
• Attempts to • Attempts to discover and
understand explain the behavior and
nature’s attitudes of people.
phenomena by • Researches are leaning
on the qualitative side,
relying greatly on
considered a “soft
measurable data science”
obtained through • Society itself is the
scientific method. laboratory of the social
• Undertake scientist
controlled • Uncertainty of data or
experiments as output – affected by so
many factors at a
they validate their particular instance
working between the researcher
hypothesis. and the respondent such
THE SOCIAL SCIENCES VIS-À-VIS THE NATURAL
SCIENCES

N AT U R A L S C I E N C E S SOCIAL SCIENCES
• Experiments may be • Every social science
confined in rooms or research may be unique
laboratories under in itself that it cannot
strict conditions that be duplicated in other
can be repeated many societies for most of the
times. times. For example.
• A laboratory Standards of happiness
experiment in physics for Filipinos may be
done in France may entirely different with
those of the Bhutanese,
yield exactly the
Cambodians, Indians or
same result in
any other Asians for
Singapore.
that matter.
• Scientific outlook and
• Scientific outlook and
investigative spirit investigative spirit
IMPORTANCE OF THE SOCIAL
SCIENCES

• Our present social ills can be effectively


addressed by obtaining knowledge from
both the natural and the social sciences.
• Example: researchers working on climate
change will be definitely dealing with
biology and ecology in the natural sciences,
they may have to familiarize themselves
with geography as a natural science and
then analyze its effects on humans and
society using the social science approach.
They may also have to obtain knowledge
about the impact of climate change on
social behaviors (sociology) and on power
as motivation for human behavior (political
IMPORTANCE OF THE SOCIAL
SCIENCES

• Compared to the social sciences, the domains of


the natural sciences may have advanced
tremendously in terms of controlling and
predicting the nature. We have come a long way
since the inventions of airplanes, atomic bombs,
submarines, cellular phones, and smart gadgets.
• However, we still have a long way to go in terms
of ending wars among nations and people, in
eradicating poverty and crime in the society, or
in eliminating gender inequalities amid
advancements in technology.
• Fortunately, the field of the social sciences may
help us understand the complexities of human
behavior and relations as it attempts to solve
societal problems.

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