Group 4 Module 4 summary

¶ … Social Science

There are, of course, a number of theoretical approaches to social science -- and a number of sub-theories that construct a larger, more detailed template that helps us critique the differences between critical social science, and the positivist and interpretive views. Really, as noted, there are a number of means to an end. There are some fundamental questions that social scientists must answer that have been seminal questions for millennium -- namely; from where does knowledge arise -- how do we "know" what we know. We can be as basic as going back to Plato's ideas of forms being individual -- my red is not your red, etc. But really, what is the major question with which we must deal? It is, of course, using critical thinking to uncover more information so that we may act upon it in a professional manner.

Critical thinking is primarily a way of looking at information, processing that information in an analytical manner, and being able to bring outside materials to bear upon the material studied. It is more of a process, and can be utilized in public speaking, reading, watching television or movies, or a general approach to daily life. In general, the basic aspect of critical thinking is to analyze the source material and decide upon its veracity and relevance. For example, not everything posted on the Internet is true; one must read to establish the sources of the material. A critical thinker also uses other senses to establish their opinion of the stimuli, be that visual, audible, or even body-language (in the case of speech, etc.). Using critical thinking to process information requires that you not only analyze the source material "critically," but that you think about the opinions and views being presented. Certainly, it is not as easy to read, write, and process critically, one has to think about what one says, how one says it, and whether the arguments are made to buttress the argument, but the idea of critical thinking is a great stimulation to one's own brain and learning (Browne and Keeley, 2009). In a sense, then, this is the first step in looking at the basic approach one must engender in the social sciences.

One can look at the world quantitatively, as numbers, as truths that are so mathematically pure that unless they can be 100% measured and quantified, they really do not exist. Anecdotes, emotions, feelings, etc. are suspect -- this is positivism in its most pure form. Interpretive social science is opposite. It is qualitative, humanistic, and takes into account open ended interpretation, and an approach to working with individuals that has but a general basis in theory, but also tends to use theory as but an approach to problem solving and gaining knowledge, not as a be all - end all.