SOCIAL SCIENCE AND PHILOSOPHY

SOCIAL SCIENCE
Social Science is the study of people and their relationship and interactions in society.
The social sciences have a critical contribution to make, in helping us understand, imagine and craft a
more sustainable future for all.(UNESCO)
Any discipline or branch of science that deals with human behavior in its social and cultural
aspects.
An academic discipline concerned with society and the relationships among individuals within a
society, which often rely primarily on empirical approaches.
Discipline that study:
* institutions and functioning of human society and the interpersonal relationships of individuals as
members of society
*a particular phase or aspect of human society

HISTORY OF SOCIAL SCIENCE- Social Science begins in the Age of Enlightenment after 1650. The
social sciences developed from the sciences (experimental and applied), or the systematic knowledge-
bases or prescriptive practices, relating to the social improvement of a group of interacting entities.
- It was influenced by positivism. AUGUSTE COMTE used the term "science sociale" to describe the
field, taken from the ideas of CHARLES FOURIER; Comte also referred to the field as social physics.
-The term social science may refer either to the specific sciences of society established by thinkers such as
Comte, Durkheim, Marx, and Weber, or more generally to all disciplines outside of "noble science" and
arts.

Social Science- Anthropology, Geography, Linguistics, Psychology, Demography, Economics, History,

Political Science, Sociology…

SOCIETY- refers to a system of interrelationships which connects individual together (Giddens, 1990)
- A common habitat or environment within which members of society depend on one another for survival
and well-being(Marvin Harris,1983).
-Society refers to a group of people who share a culture and a territory.
-Socialization affects the overall cultural practices of a society and shapes one's self-image.

HOW IS SOCIAL SCIENCE RELATED TO SOCIETY? Social Sciences focus on the study of society
and the relationship among individuals within society.

What is social sciences and how can it be used to study and understand society?What are the roles of
social science in society?
*conceptualization of the social problem-means what is the problem affecting the society, positive or
negative?
*understanding the existing concepts related to the problem.
*conducting the research on the problem, using scientific methods such as inclusive
sampling,classification,tabulation and analysis then conclusion.
*based on analysis and conclusion suggesting recommendations to the problem.
*it is used to understand society,identify potential social problems, create hypotheses and try and
formulate answers to those problems.For example, our aging population.

WHAT IS NATURAL SCIENCE?

-a major branch of science that deals with the description, prediction and understanding of natural
phenomena,basically based on observational and empirical evidence.

TWO MAIN BRANCHES of natural science?

1. Life Science or Biological Science
2. Physical Science
*Physics
*Astronomy
*Chemistry
*Earth Science

How can natural science be used in our daily lives?

WHAT IS HUMANITIES?-refers to the study of the ways in which the human experience is processed
and documented. It encompasses the field of philosophy, literature,religion,art,music,history,and
language.
Functions of Humanities:
1.To better appreciate the meaning and purpose of the human experience-both broadly in the nature of the
human condition, as well as within each individual.
2.To reveal wisdom,to better explore and address the big questions and meet the challenges in the human
condition.
Functions of Social Science:
1.To analyze, explain,and possibly predict and produce new knowledge of factual information.

*How can humanities be applied to our daily living?

What are the different cultures and traditions in the Phil.? Are the cultures and traditions related to
people?If yes,how?

HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT OF SOCIAL SCIENCE

History of Social Science:
-the history of the social sciences begins in the roots of ancient philosophy.
-in ancient history, there was no difference between mathematics and the study of history,poetry or
politics.
-Before the birth of modern social sciences in the West, the study of society, culture and politics were
based on social and political philosophy .In return, social and political philosophies were informed
by theological reasoning grounded in Revelation based on the holy bible.This was largely due to the
dominance of religion worldwide and authority during time. While pre-modern social thinkers employed
experiences and personal observation, just like modern scientists, they fit them with the overall
framework of their philosophy and the overall religious scheme of the Church.
-Philosophy is derived from Science.
-Science would have no development if it remained under the wings of philosophy and theology.
-After the natural sciences. And while the origin of the social sciences can be traced back to the ancient
Greek philosophers Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle, their development as separate fields of knowledge only
begun in the modern period (Collins 1994, p.7)

-the properties common to these cases to others similar cases under the same specified
condition:
-Philosophy is based on Analytic understanding of the nature of truth asserted
about specific topics of issues.
• Analytical (adjective) means – of or relating to analysis or analytics; especially:
separating something in components parts or constituent elements.
Understanding (noun) means – the knowledge and ability to judge a particular situation or subject
• It asks the questions: “ What is the nature of truth?” “How do we know what we know?” Unlike
philosophy, the sciences are based on empirical data, tested theories and contrived observations. It does
not ask the question about the nature of
• Empirical (adjective) means – based on testing or experience
Data (noun) means – facts or information usually to calculate, analyze, or plan something
• Science seeks to discover the truth about specific causes of events and happenings in the natural world.
It is inductive. ( using particular examples to reach a general conclusion about something).
• It proceeds from observing particular cases and moves toward generalizing
-This definition of Science is a very modern description. Before the modern period, the growth of science
was slowed down because of the dominance of religious authority and tradition. However, with the
breakdown of the Church and its religious power after the French revolution, the science grew steadily
and rapid to become
• The most widely accepted way explaining the world, nature, and human beings (Harrington 2006)
•The development of the Social Sciences during the modern period was made possible by several large
scale social upheavals and pivotal events.
•They can be summarized below
•Science Social Sciences Humanities
•Pure Science Law Visual Arts
•Applied Science Linguistics Performing Arts
•History Religion

The Unprecedented Growth of Science

•The scientific revolution which began with Nicolaus Copernicus refers to historical changes in thought
and belief. In Europe roughly between 1550 and 1700 with the works of Sir Isaac Newton,who proposed
universal laws of motion and mechanical model of the Universe .Sir Francis Bacon ,who established the
supremacy of reason over imagination.
• The 17th century saw the rapid development in the sciences. Along with Sir Francis Bacon, who
established the supremacy of reason over imagination, Reńe Descartes and Sir Isaac Newton laid the
foundation that allowed science and technology to change the world. The discovery of gravity of Sir Isaac
Newton, the mathematization of physics and medicine paved the way for the dominance of science.

-The triumph of this model of the universe was facilitated by Newton’s Physics. Decartes’ separation of
the physical from the spiritual, the body from the mind, also led to the triumph of valuing the physical
over the spiritual. Once the physical universe is considered as a machine, it soon became apparent that
human beings can explore it according to science in order to reveal its secrets (Merchant 1986)
• The Secularization of Learning & Education • The modern period marked the growing triumph of
scientific method over religious dogma and theological thinking .The Protestant movement led by Martin
Luther eroded the power of the Roman Catholic Church.
• The triumph of Reason (specifically Western Reason) and science over dogma and religious authority
began with the Revolution Catholic Church. It challenged the infallibility of the Pope and democratized
the interpretation of the Bible. Then there was the Enlightenment.
• This was largely a cultural movement, emphasizing rationalism as well as political and economic
theories, and was clearly built on the Scientific Revolution (Stearns 2003, p.70). In the Age of
Enlightenment, philosophers led by Immanuel Kant challenged the use of metaphysics or absolute truth
derived mainly from unjustified tradition and authority such as the existence of God.
• Kant advocated the use of reason in order to know the nature of the world and human beginnings. In
1784, Immanuel Kant wrote his famous essay, “What is Enlightenment?” Kant heralded the
beginning of the Modern Period when he defined Enlightenment as courage to know.
•Enlightenment
•European intellectual movement of the late 17th and 18th centuries emphasizing reason and
individualism rather than tradition. It was heavily influenced by 17th-century philosophers such as
Descartes, Locke, and Newton, and its prominent exponents include Kant, Goethe, Voltaire, Rousseau,
and Adam Smith.
• Medieval Period • During the Medieval Period,universities relied mainly on religious tradition and the
bible to explain the nature of the universe and the place of human being in the grand scheme of things, the
modern universities started to rely on science and its method to interpret the world.
• Max Weber ,one of the leading figures in modern sociology,described this process as rationalization.
• Rationalization
• • Rationalization or rationalisation (also known as making excuses) is a defense mechanism in which
controversial behaviors or feelings are justified and explained in a seemingly rational or logical manner to
avoid the true explanation, and are made consciously tolerable – or even admirable and superior – by
plausible means
• The rise of Universities
• Education is the single most important factor in the rise of social sciences. The growth of universities
also contributed to the triumph of science. Secular subjects or subjects dealing with the natural world
proliferated in universities. Merchants and capitalists supported universities and institutions of secular
learning.
-Because they became the hub of training future scientists, technocrats, and technological innovators.
Emile Durkheim, one of the founding “fathers” of sociology, for instance, lectured on the need to
secularize education and base the curriculum on the need of nation-state – to develop citizens necessary
for the modern world. (Collins 1994, p.11)
•As students at a university, you are part of a great tradition. Consider the words you use: campus, tuition,
classes, courses, lectures, faculty, students, administration, chancellor, dean, professor, sophomore, junior,
senior, fees, assignments, laboratory, dormitory, requirements, prerequisites, examinations, texts, grades,
convocation, graduation, commencement, procession, diploma, alumni association, donations, and so
forth. These are the languages of the university, and they are all derived from Latin, almost unchanged
from their medieval origins. The organization of this university, its activities and its traditions, are
continuations of a barroom brawl that took place in Paris almost 800 years ago.
•The Dissolution of Feudal Social Relations
•With the intensification of commerce and trade in the 17th century ,many medieval guilds or worker’s
cooperatives were dissolved and absorbed into the emerging factory system.
•The factory system and the unprecedented growth in the urban centers due to trade and
commerce,attracted a lot of agricultural workers and mass of rural population to migrate to urban centers.
-This created the modern cities. This development forced many social scientists during this time to study
the effects of the dissolution of feudal relations on the social life of the people. Ferdinand
Tőnnies(1855-1936), a German sociologist, and contemporary of Max Weber, lamented the passing away
of gemeinschaft or community because of urbanization Tőnnies classic book Community and Society
(1957) showed how the modern way of life had drastically changed the way people relate to one
• Whereas in traditional communities people had warm relationships with the members of the community,
in modern cities or gesellschaft individualism gave way to cold and calculated social relationships. As
capitalism replaced agricultural economy, people began to see their relationships with other people as
mere economic transactions rather than as form of personal relationships.
•Trade and Commerce
•For many centuries the Great Silk Road connected a complex network of trade routes from Europe with
Asia. It was a way to establish contact with the great civilizations of China, India, the Near East and
Europe.
• Trade caravans, diplomatic missions, merchants representatives of religious circles, dervishes, warriors–
millions people have passed on this road through time with nothing frightening these brave travelers,
neither the difficult roads, nor the waterless deserts.
• The Rise of Individualism
•The intensification of commerce and trade gradually replaced barter with the production of money and
banking system.Soon banking system provided merchants and capitalists the leverage to extend credit and
transactions
• GEORGE SIMMEL • a German sociologist in the early 20th century, to decry the growing
depersonalization of life due to the introduction of money. Money economy transformed individuals to
autonomous consumers who were released from attachment to local contexts and traditions. Hence, the
dominance of money in social life paved the way for individualization of lifestyle and the birth of plural
relationship.
• This condition became an important focus of social scientists. It compelled them to explain how the
“new economy”, which was industrial capitalism that replaced the traditional feudal relations, had
drastically shaped human character and traits. The transition from feudal economy to industrial capitalism
heralded the creation of people who no longer relied on traditional norms and prevailing culture.
• Modern individuals asserted their freedom to choose. Through education and the spread of science
worldwide, people saw their lives as no longer at the mercy of fate or destiny. Individualism is
imply the recognition of power of the individual to assert one's freedom against the given norms and
structures of society.

•The birth of Social Sciences as a Response to the Social Turmoil of the MODERN PERIOD
•Sociology is 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.
•Of course Sociology also addresses the problem of the constitution of the self and the individual, but it
only does so in relation larger social structures and processes
• Sociology, therefore, is a science that studies the relationship between the individual and the society as
they develop and change in history. Sociology does not only study the existing social forms of interactions
but also pursues the investigation of the emergence of stable structures that sustain such interactions.

•Auguste Comte-better known as Auguste Comte was a French philosopher. He was a founder of the
discipline of sociology and of the doctrine of positivism. He is sometimes regarded as the first
philosopher of science in the modern sense of the term
•Harriet Martineau, one of the earliest Western sociologists, was born in 1802 in Norwich, England.
Martineau was a self-taught expert in political economic theory, and wrote prolifically about the relations
between politics, economics, morals, and social life throughout her career. Her intellectual work was
centered by a staunchly moral perspective that stemmed from her Unitarian faith. She was fiercely critical
of the inequality and injustice faced by girls and women, slaves, wage slaves, and the working poor.
•Karl Marx
•The philosopher, social scientist, historian and revolutionary, Karl Marx, is without a doubt the most
influential socialist thinker to emerge in the 19th century. Although he was largely ignored by scholars in
his own lifetime, his social, economic and political ideas gained rapid acceptance in the socialist
movement after his death in 1883. Until quite recently almost half the population of the world lived under
regimes that claim to be Marxist. This very success, however, has meant that the original ideas of Marx
have often been modified and his meanings adapted to a great variety of political circumstances. In
addition, the fact that Marx delayed publication of many of his writings meant that is been only recently
that scholars had the opportunity to appreciate Marx's intellectual stature.
• Emile Durkleim
•David Émile Durkheim (French: or April 15, 1858 – November 15, 1917) was a French sociologist,
social psychologist and philosopher. He formally established the academic discipline and— with Karl
Marx and Max Weber—is commonly cited as the principal architect of modern social science and father
of sociology
• Max Weber
•Karl Emil Maximilian "Max" Weber was a German sociologist, philosopher, jurist, and political
economist whose ideas profoundly influenced social theory and social research. Weber is often cited,
with Émile Durkheim and Karl Marx, as among the three founders of sociology
Franz Boas
• Franz Uri Boas was a German- American anthropologist and a pioneer of modern anthropology who has
been called the "Father of American Anthropology” His work is associated with the movement of
anthropological historicism
Bronislaw Kasper Malinowski
• was a Polish anthropologist, one of the most important 20th-century anthropologists. He has also been
referred to as a sociologist and ethnographer.
Alfred Reginald Radcliffe –Brown
• was an English social anthropologist who developed the theory of structural functionalism and
coadaptation.
Walter Lippmann
• was an American writer, reporter, and political commentator famous for being among the first to
introduce the concept of Cold War, coining the term "stereotype" in the modern psychological meaning,
and critiquing media and democracy in his newspaper column and several books

•The Colonial Origin of the Social Sciences

• The Clamor for Decolonization of Social Sciences
• As discussed above, the image created by the Social Scientists around the 18th century carried a very
European view of non Western world.Social Sciences spread from the center to the peripheries of the of
the world .Most of their observations ,mainly from anthropology were clothed in the cultural beliefs and
attitudes of the Fair European.

•Indigenization of Social Sciences in the Philippines

•In the Philippines,social sciences after World War II simply perpetuated colonial knowledge production
from American social sciences.
• Many Filipino social scientists such as Virgilio Enriquez,a psychologist Zeus Salazar,a historian and
Prospero Covar,an anthropologist advocated for the indigenization of social sciences.
Social Sciences in the Era of Globalization
•Science may take on completely different forms in various cultural and historical contexts, but all of
these forms of the human acquisition of knowledge share a general nature that lies in their exploration of
the potential for innovation embodied in a given material culture. This exploration, focusing on means
rather than ends, occurs in a certain autonomy from the specific applications also given with this culture,
through its tradition and concentrating on certain goals. Against the background of such a historical
definition of science, the remarkable dual character it possesses, its durability and its fragility, becomes
more understandable
-Knowledge is globalized when it is in principle globally available and accessible.
• The globalization of knowledge today has reached a new stage: it has transformed the economy of
knowledge radically, in ways that are comparable to the transformation in recent years of a monetary
economy to a system in which local and global developments are coupled by almost instantaneous
interactions.
• New potentials for the globalization of knowledge have emerged, such as the global system of science
and the World Wide Web, offering immediate worldwide access to the knowledge produced within this
system.
• Due to the increased mobility of people and things, research hubs and the human resources of science
have become global assets.
• The migration of scientific knowledge is no longer characterized by the trajectories of individuals or by
the dynamics of fellow traveling, but rather by global social patterns

• Feminist Anthropology
•that seeks to transform research findings, anthropological hiring practices, and the scholarly production
of knowledge, using insights from feminist theory.
• Simultaneously, feminist anthropology challenges essentialist feminist theories developed in Europe and
America. While feminists practiced cultural anthropology since its inception (see Margaret Mead and
Hortense Powdermaker), it was not until the 1970s that feminist anthropology was formally[citation
needed] recognized as a subdiscipline of anthropology.
• Since then, it has developed its own subsection of the American Anthropological Association – the
Association for Feminist Anthropology – and its own publication.
• The social Sciences namely, sociology, anthropology and political science, developed as a result of the
development of modern society. The rise and rapid growth of the natural sciences influenced the direction
of the social sciences.

Approaches of Research in Social Science

• 1.The functionalist theory approach
• 2.The conflict theory approach
• 3.The exchange theory approach
• 4.The symbolic interaction theory approach

1. The functionalist theory approach-Structural functionalism is a broad perspective in

sociology and anthropology which sets out to interpret society as a structure with interrelated parts
2. The conflict theory approach
• Conflict theory is most commonly associated with Karl Marx (1818-83).
• Based on a dialectical materialist account of history, Marxism posited that capitalism, like previous
socioeconomic systems, would inevitably produce internal tensions leading to its own destruction.
The history of all existing society is the history of class struggles.
3. Social conflict theory
-the main theorist representing this approach is Karl Marx(1818-1883). He saw society as being built out
of the conflicting interests of the owner class and the working class. In his view, the ensuing struggle
between classes would lead to classless society.
3. The exchange theory approach
•The theory grew out of the intersection of economics, psychology and sociology. According to Hormans,
it was developed to understand the social behavior of humans in economic undertakings.
4. The symbolic interaction theory approach
• Symbolic interaction theories focus on the interpretation (social meaning) that is given to behaviour, and
on the way such interpretation helps to construct the social world, the identities of people, and, ultimately
how they behave.

Understanding the field of Social Science

The word science comes from the Latin "scientia," meaning knowledge.It is study of the physical
and natural world using theoretical models and data from experiments or observation
Field of Science
•Science relies on testing ideas with evidence gathered from the natural world
•Science is both a body of knowledge and a process
•Science is exciting
•Science is useful
•Science is ongoing
Types of Science
•Natural science
Physical science
Physics, Chemistry
Earth science
•Life science
Biology, Zoology, Human Biology
•Social sciences
•Decision theory, Logic, Mathematics, Statistics, Systems theory, Theoretical computer science
•Applied science

Social Science
The scientific study of organized human groups is a relatively recent development, but a vast amount of
information has been accumulated concerning the social life of human beings. This information has been
used in building a system of knowledge (called social sciences) about the nature, growth and functioning
of human societies.

-Scientific knowledge is a knowledge that has been systematically gathered, classified, related and
interpreted.
Definition Social Sciences are the fields of human knowledge that deal with all aspects of the group life
of human beings. They are closely related to humanities (deals with literature, music, art, and philosophy)
because both deal with humans and their culture.Social Sciences are most concerned with those basic
elements of culture that determine the general patterns of human behavior.
Social Problems and Social Science-the connection between social science and social problems should be
a high priority for all of us -- social scientists and citizens alike.
Example : Poverty and Social Science (Economics)

NATURAL SCIENCE VS. SOCIAL SCIENCE

1. Social Science : The field of human knowledge deals with all aspects of human beings. So it is subject
to change with the changes the human behavior
2. Natural Science: a branch of science that seeks to elucidate the rules that govern the natural world by
using the Empirical and Scientific method.
Subject areas: • Physics • Chemistry • Biology • Earth science • Astronomy
3. Humanities
are academic disciplines that study the human condition, using methods that are primarily analytical,
critical, or speculative.
• ancient and modern Languages, • Visual and Performing Arts such as music • Theatre Arts. • literature,
history, philosophy, religion.
4. Various Social Science Disciplines
• Anthropology • Business studies
• Economics • Education
• Geography • History
• Industrial relations • Law
• Philosophy • Political science
• Psychology • Public administration
• Sociology • International studies • Library Science

•Anthropology
is the study of the relationship between biological traits and socially acquired characteristics. Sometimes
called the study of human
Anthropology is the holistic "science of man," - a science of the totality of human existence.
1. Physical Anthropology 2. Cultural Anthropology
•Economics
is the social science that analyzes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services.
is the study of the ways in which men and women make a living, the most pressing problem most human
beings face. Its subject matter is often summarized as:
1. Production
2. Distribution
3. Consumption
Some of the topics included are: 1. Supply and demand 2. Monetary and fiscal policy 3. Costs 4.
Inflation 5. Unemployment Economics seeks to explain, guide and predict social arrangements by which
we satisfy economic want
Geography
is the study of the natural environment and how it influences social and cultural development.
Concerns of geography are: 1. Ecology 2. Climate 3. Resources 4. Accessibility 5. Demography
Geography is the science that studies the lands, features, inhabitants, and phenomena of Earth. As "the
bridge between the human and physical sciences
1. Physical Geography: environment and how space is created, viewed and managed by humans as
well as the influence humans have on the space they occupy
2. Human Geography examines the natural environment and how the climate, vegetation & life, soil,
water and landforms are produced and interact.
•History
Is the study of the past of humans in the world.
is the study of past events. It is a social science in the sense that it is a systematic attempt to learn about
and verify past events and relate them to one another and to the present. The study of history involves:
1. Identifying 2. Classifying 3. Arranging
•Political Science
Is the study of social arrangement to maintain peace and order within a society. State, Politics, power,
Law and ideology are components of Political science
is the study of social arrangements to maintain peace and order within a given society.
It deals with government, and its interest are:
1. Politics 2. Laws 3. Administration 4.International Relations 5. Theory of the nature and functions of
the states
•Psychology
Is the study of human soul/ mind/ behavior/ personality and how these are effected by individuals
environment
deals with the mind and personality of the individual. It is a social science because humans are social
creatures. It focuses on the individual and physical processes such as: 1. Biological structure 2.
Development and maturation
•Sociology
Is the study of human social relationship or social system or human group behavior.
is the systematic study of relationships among people. Sociologists assume that behavior is influenced by
people’s social, political, occupational and intellectual groupings and by the particular settings in which
they find themselves at one time or another.
3 major choices are: 1. Functionalism 2. Conflict 3. Interactionism
Humanities
The humanities deal with special aspects of human culture and are primarily concerned with our attempts
to express spiritual and aesthetic values and discover the meaning of life.
Whereas the social sciences study issues in a systematic, scientific way, the focus of the humanities is
more on the emotions and feeling themselves than on the system employed to sharpen that focus

As a body of