W h a t is It

Historical B a c k g ro u n d of Social Sciences Q u e x b o o k 2 0 1 8

T h e hi st or y o f t h e soci al s c i e n c e s b e g u n i n t h e r oots o f a n c i e n t p h i l o s o p h y. I n a n c i e n t
hist or y, t her e w a s n o di ffer ence b e t w e e n M a t h e m a t i c s a n d t h e s t u d y o f histor y, p o e t r y o r
pol i t i cs, o n l y w i t h t h e d e v e l o p m e n t o f m a t h e m a t i c a l p r o o f d i d there gradually arise a
perceived difference bet ween “ scientific” disciplines a n d others s u c h as the “humanities ” or
“liberal arts.”

T h e A g e o f E n l i g h t e n me n t s a w a revolution within natural philosophy, c h a n g i n g

t h e b a s i c f r a m e w o r k b y w h i c h i n d i v i d u a l s u n d e r s t o o d w h a t w a s “ scientific” . I n s o m e
quar ter s, the acceler ating t r e n d of ma t h e ma t i c a l studies p r e s u me d a reality independent o f
the obser ver a n d w o r k e d b y its o w n rules. Social sciences c a m e forth f r o m the mo r a l
p h i l o s o p h y o f t he t i me a n d w e r e influenced b y the A g e of Revolution, s u c h as the Industrial
Revolution a n d the F r ench Revolution. T h e Social S ciences developed f r o m the sciences
(experimental a n d applied), o r the sy stematic k n o w l e d g e - b a s e s or pr escr iptive practices,
relating t o t he so ci al i mpr ovement of a group of interacting entities.
According to Stearns et al. (2000) I n the period of 1760

 S o m e effort w a s spent o n the s t u d y of m a n a n d society. H o b b e s ` Leviathan;

Lock ’s Tw o Treatises o n Government; Vico`s N e w Science; an d Montesquieu
Spirit of Laws were all published in this period.
 T h e r e v i v a l o f interest i n s o c i a l s c i e n c e o c c u r r e d i n t h e m i d d l e o f t h e 1 8 t h
century.
 B y the middle of 18th century, capitalism h a d b eg u n to outgrow its early state
a n d gradually it b e c a me the dominant socio -economic system in western an d
northern Europe.
 I n t h e s e c o n d h a l f o f t h e 1 8 t h c e n t u r y, u r b a n i z a t i o n a n d p o p u l a t i o n g r o w t h
b e c a m e a c c e l e r a t e d , a n d d u r i n g this p e r i o d s l u ms , a l c o h o l i s m, brutality o f
manners etc. developed which were to become the targets of social reforms.
 I n t h e o t h e r h a l f o f t h e 1 8 t h c e n t u r y, i n r e s p o n s e t o t h e a b o v e t h e r e i s a
multiplication o f works with a scientific character.
  A u g u s t e c o m t e ( 1 7 9 8 - 1 8 53) invented the t er m sociology. H e w a s the first to
systematize and give a complete analysis of the principles of the positive
character of the Social Sciences.
 Montesquieu and Voltaire broke a n ew path for politics and history .

According to Stearns et al. (2000) 19th Century Development

 A t t h e b e g i n n i n g o f t h e 1 9 t h cen t u r y, s o ci al s c i e n c e h a d at t ai n ed i n all t h e
leading European countries a firm and respectable position.
 In the 2 0 t h century w e c a n also o b s er v e recurrent occasions w h e n proposals
for a generalized social science were made.
 The contribution of Auguste Comte was accepted immediately; Emile
D u r k h e i m a n d t h e s o ci o l o g i s t s o f t h e late c e n t u r y a n d e a r l y c e n t u r y w e r e
influenced by him.
 Karl Marx gave the first general theory of social science.
A c c o r d i n g t o S t earn s et al. ( 2000) 2 0 t h C e n t u r y D e v e l o p me n t

 If w e e x a m i n e t he c o u r s e o f d e v e l o p me n t o f the var ious social science

disciplines, w e find that t hey follow, o n the whole, a pattern thr ough w h i c h the older
natural sciences also passed.
 A t this st age t he soci al science h a s b e c o m e institutionalized t o a h i g h degr ee.
It has n o w b e c o m e a subject of research.
 L a w r e n c e A . K e m p t o n in his article “ Social S ciences To d a y ” states that social
s c i e n c e a s s c i e n c e i s v e r y y o u n g a n d t h e r e i s c o n f u s i o n w i t h r e g a r d s t o its limits a n d
boundar i es.
 H i s t o r y m o v e s i n t o t h e h u ma n i t i e s , e c o n o m i c s b e c o m e s M a t h e m a t i c s ,
ant hr opol ogy a n d p s y c h o l o g y ally themselve s with biology a n d the g e o g r a p h y is at h o m e
wi t h physical science.
 W h i l e i n its initial p e r i o d , it m a y h a v e b e e n t h e p r e - o c c u p a t i o n o f a g r o u p o f
s e m i - a m a t e u r s , p h i l o s o p h e r, p r a c t i c a l m e n i n b u s i n e s s a n d g o v e r n m e n t , o r g e n t l e m a n
o f l ei sur e; it n o w h a s b e c o m e a s u b j e c t o f r e s e a r c h o n t h e p a r t o f academic specialists.
 I n t h e t h i r d a n d t h e m o s t m a t u r e s t a g e o f d i s c i p l i n e t h e battles o v e r m e t h o d
h a v e s u b s i d e d , t h e t heor etical r ivalr ies t e n d t o b e s u b m e r g e d i n t h e efforts t o e l a b o r a t e
p r o p o s i t i o n s b r i d g i n g t h e d i ff e r e n c e s a n d c o n t r i b u t i n g t o w a r d s t h e further progress of
the discipline.
Definitions of Social Sciences, Nat ural Sciences, a n d
Humanities Social Sciences Denhardt et al. (2009)
Social Sciences
A branch of science devoted to the study of societies a n d
the relationships among individuals within those societies.
“Social sciences as those mental or cultural sciences which
deal with the activities of the individual as me mb e r of the group.
T h e term social sciences thus e mb r a c e all those subjects w h i c h
deal with the relationship of man to the society.
Natural Sciences
A major branch of science that deals with
the description, prediction and understanding
of natural phenomena, basically based on
observational and empirical evidence.
 Table 1: Two Main Branches of Natural Science Denhardt et al. (2009)
Branches of Natural Description
Science
1. Life Science/ It studies life in all its forms, past and present. This includes
Biological Science plants, animals, viruses and bacteria, single-celled organisms,
and even cells.
2. Physical Science This is the systematic study of the inorganic world, as distinct from
the study of the organic world, which is the province of biological
science.
a. Physics The science in which matter and energy are studied both separately
and in combination with one another.
b. Astronomy The scientific study of celestial objects (such as stars, planets,
comets, and galaxies) and phenomena that originate outside the
Earth's atmosphere (such as the cosmic background radiation).

c. Chemistry The study of matter and its transformations and the development
of methods to manipulate those transformations to create new
and useful forms of matter.

d. Earth Science The study of the Earth and its neighbors in space. It is an exciting
science with many interesting and practical applications.
Humanities
- refers to the study of the ways in which the
human experience is processed and documented.

- encompasses the field of philosophy,

literature, religion, art, music, history and
language.
Social Sciences and Natural Sciences
Things in Common

- both sciences employ the scientific model in

order to gain information.
- both sciences use empirical and measured data
evidence that can be seen and discerned by the senses.
- both sciences’ theories can be tested to yield
theoretical statements and general positions.
 Table 2: Differences of Social Sciences and Natural Sciences
Social Science
• Arose 300 years later
• Deals with subject (human being)
• It is spontaneous, unpredictable and
uncontrollable, as it deals with human
emotions and behavior.
• Experiential Data
• Typically involves alternative
methods of observation and interaction
with people within community.
• Open system
Natural Science
• Started during the 16th and 17th
century.
• Deals with object.
• Characterized by exactness,
controlled variables, and
predictability.
• Experimental Data
• The typical method of science is
doing repetitive and conventional
laboratory experiments.
• Closed System
Social Science and Humanities
Things in Common
Both the humanities and social science are
concerned with human aspects like, law, politics,
linguistics, economics, and psychology as well as
human lives and nature.
 Table 3: Differences of Social Sciences and Humanities

Social Science Humanities

• Influenced by and developed after the • Emerged in the 15th century.
French revolution and the Industrial • Humanities involved more of a
revolution. scientific approach.

• Social science deals with more scientific • Deemed to be more philosophical

approach. and concerned with heritage and the
question of what makes us human.
• Involves application of an empirical,
It comprises the application of an
rational, and objective methodology
interpretative methodology.
(such as the use of validity and
reliability test) to present facts.
 Table 4: Functions of Social Sciences and Humanities

Social Science Humanities

• To analyze, explain, and possibly • To better appreciate the meaning
predict and produce new and purpose of the human
knowledge of factual information experience - both broadly in the
nature of the human condition, as
• To generate and produce new
knowledge or factual information well as within each individual