Lopez, Lawrence John T.

BASS 2-1

Reflective Essay

            “You can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking
backward.” – Steve Jobs (Stanford News, 2005). Social science is both very old and relatively
new. It is old because it dates back to Plato and his “Republic”, and relatively new because of its
continuous development until the present. Understanding Social Sciences requires not only
learning its history but also its philosophy. As Immanuel Kant would say, “philosophy of science
without a history of science is empty, and a history of science without philosophy of science is
blind” (Gordon, 1991). 

The history of social science and the philosophy of social science have experienced a
somewhat turbulent relationship over the last century. At times it has been said that philosophy
needs history, or that history needs philosophy. Our view of the social sciences raises distinctive
philosophical problems that need to be addressed and leading philosophical ideas such as
positivism, naturalism, realism, hermeneutics, individualism, holism, and reductionism have
appeared to the social sciences to address that problem. The chief goal of the philosophy of
social science is to understand these ideas to have a better understanding of the logic and
methods of the social sciences.

           The importance of knowing the philosophical roots of social science is that it seeks to
produce a rational reconstruction of social science. Understanding its roots can guide us as we
construct a field of knowledge, and it can serve as a set of regulative standards as we conduct
and extend that field of knowledge. Now, social scientists need to learn from philosophy, not to
become philosophers, but to become better social scientists.

           The importance of knowing the historical roots of the social sciences, on the other hand,
stems from these two justifications: first, excellent social theories and concepts have been
collectively forgotten and can be recovered and reintroduced. A case in point is where the serious
research on Marx or using Marx’s ideas was largely excluded from professional social science in
the U.S. and Germany before the late 1960s. Also, Durkheim and Weber were widely dismissed
as outmoded compared to American-style social science in France and Germany after 1945. But
has now been reintroduced and recovered in the 21st century (Steinmetz, 2018). The second
justification is that the history of social sciences can help us understand the conditions in which
social science flourishes or stagnates. Finally, the historical development of social science
contributes to explaining and perhaps, even solving various social problems at the present. 
           Studying the philosophical roots and historical development of social science would be an
important part of the training of a modern social scientist (Gordon, 1991). It enables us to
understand and appreciate, in a critical fashion, the intellectual development of our civilization.
We study the philosophical roots and historical development of the social sciences to make sense
of the social world. The role of the social sciences in our world is no less important than
developments in the natural sciences and our interest in phenomena related to the social sciences
have helped legitimate and broaden the field. It is clear that social science is of immense
importance to societies around the world; however, there still is much work to be done to
increase the level of support that they receive.

References:

Gordon, Scott (1991). The History and Philosophy of Social Science. Routledge.

Stanford News (2005). 'You've got to find what you love,' Jobs says. Retrieved at
https://news.stanford.edu.

Steinmetz, George (2018). How and Why Do We Write the History of the Social Sciences?
Retrieved at https://www.ias.edu/ideas/steinmetz-history-social-sciences