Human Relations Through a Social Science Perspective

Social Sciences and Natural Sciences: Fundamental Differences

Science is commonly understood as an attempt to predict, understand, and explain our world using distinctive modes of analysis for developing theories. However, defining a collection of attributes that distinguishes science from religion, fortune telling, astrology, and other such disciplines — which also aim at understanding and explaining the world — is not a simple task (Okasha, 2002). Wittgenstein maintained, in the context of games, that no fixed group of features exists for defining a "game"; one can, however, find a loose collection of common features that most games possess. Okasha feels that sciences can be explained in a similar manner. On the basis of some common features among sciences, two branches — social and natural sciences — will be contrasted in this paper (Donmez & Domigall, 2011).

Social Sciences

The field of social science focuses on human society, societal institutions, social groups, social relationships among people, and cultural and material goods as manifestations of human coexistence. Different branches of study within social science all address these subjects (Bayer, 1992).

The scientific study of human society and societal relationships is a much younger discipline compared to natural science. Despite scholars' interest in societal interactions for several centuries, social interactions only began being studied scientifically in the nineteenth century, which saw the publication of sociological works such as Auguste Comte's Système de politique positive and Émile Durkheim's Suicide. Comte's work laid the foundation for a positivist social science approach (Donmez & Domigall, 2011).

Natural Sciences

Natural sciences have been defined by Ledoux (2002, p. 34) as branches of study that exclusively examine natural events — in other words, natural dependent and independent variables — through the use of scientific methodology. Natural sciences typically, though not exclusively, employ scientific methodology, but this is not the key feature differentiating them from social science; rather, the distinguishing aspect is their emphasis on natural phenomena. Natural sciences represent branches of learning that explore natural, physical processes or objects through scientific methodology (Ossenbrink & Stephan, 2013).

Buchel (1992) states that the natural science field emerged from Renaissance thinkers' revolutionized views about the world. These intellectuals called prior explanations into question, seeking new, systematic modes of inquiry. Galileo, Copernicus, and other pioneers of the Renaissance period's scientific revolution became absorbed with questions from the fields of physics, astronomy, and related disciplines. Natural sciences stemmed from a curiosity about the world, in addition to the attempt to adapt nature to mankind's advantage — for meeting human needs that could not, earlier, be freely pursued (Buchel, 1992).

Three Core Social Science Disciplines

Sociology

Sociology deals with studying social life, as well as the societal causes and effects of human activities. C. Wright Mills states, in brief, that sociology seeks the public issues that lie at the root of private problems. The difference between sociology and popular ideas pertaining to human behavior is that sociology utilizes scientific modes of investigation systematically and challenges numerous common-sense perceptions of the social world around us. Sociological thinking entails looking more closely at the social world, which makes us realize that things are quite often not how they appear. For instance, sociologists perceive unemployment not as the problem of an individual unable to find a job, but rather as an interaction of social, economic, and political influences that determine how many jobs are created and who can access them.

Anthropology

Anthropology represents a general, all-inclusive analysis of humans. The field is often confused with two of the disciplines it encompasses: physical anthropology (the study of bones) and archaeology (the excavation of ancient sites). Anthropology actually includes both of these sub-disciplines, in addition to cultural anthropology — the study of living cultures, ranging from Africa's hunters and gatherers to corporations in the United States. Cultural anthropologists immerse themselves in the cultural settings they intend to explore in order to gain an in-depth perspective.

Physical anthropology does not merely involve studying bones; it reconstructs mankind's physical evolution, and professionals in the field study human physical adaptations as well as primates — including humans, monkeys, apes, and prosimians. The primary aim behind studying all of this is to gain insight into human beings (2015).

Political Science

Political science refers to the branch of knowledge that studies power and politics from national, global, and comparative viewpoints. It encompasses understanding political concepts, philosophies, systems, policies, institutions, and activities, in addition to government, law, classes, groups, strategy, war, and diplomacy. A political science background is helpful for political action, civic engagement, and pursuing careers in law, government, public service, business, and media (2015).

Five myths govern political science: 1) political science revolves around politics; 2) it is a purely scientific field; 3) politics can be studied independently from sociology, economics, history, and psychology; 4) in capitalist democratic countries, the state is politically neutral — that is, it can be utilized, as a collection of processes, systems, and institutions, by whichever political party is elected; and 5) the discipline of political science furthers the cause of democracy (Ollman, 2015).

Commonalities and Differences Among the Disciplines

The field of sociology characteristically explores first-world populations, while anthropology is more concerned with exploring prehistoric cultures. However, the key difference between the two is philosophical in nature: while sociologists deal with society, anthropologists deal with culture. Although both fields have different focuses, they still share a great deal in common. Both deal comprehensively with their respective areas of focus, are concerned with how society shapes people's lives, and endeavor to stimulate understanding (2015).

The term political sociology — a fusion of sociology and political science — exists at the borderline between the two disciplines. Many academics consider this term irritating, believing it sounds like a misnomer. Political sociology's basic aim is the analysis of politics, not the establishment of a political plan of action. From this perspective, political sociology is no more "political" than any other branch of sociology. The phrase "sociology of political entities" would more accurately describe such specialized sociology branches. There are, however, specific reasons cited for distinguishing between the two fields, mainly because of their two different developmental approaches (Allardt, 1969).

References

Allardt, E. (1969). Political science and sociology. Scandinavian Political Studies.

Bayer, O. (1992). Sozialwissenschaften. In H. Seiffert (Ed.), Handlexikon zur Wissenschaftstheorie. München: Ehrenwirth.

Blunden, A. (2000). What is the most important problem of social science?

Buchel, W. (1992). Naturwissenschaften. In H. Seiffert (Ed.), Handlexikon zur Wissenschaftstheorie. München: Ehrenwirth.

California Department of Fish and Game. (2008). Master plan for marine protected areas.

Donmez, D., & Domigall, Y. (2011). What is the difference between social and natural sciences? Zurich: Universität St. Gallen.

Economic and Social Research Council. (2015, September 6). What is social science? Retrieved from http://www.esrc.ac.uk/about-esrc/what-is-social-science/

Ledoux, S. F. (2002). Defining natural sciences. Behaviorology Today, pp. 34–36.

Okasha, S. (2002). Philosophy of science: A very short introduction. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Ollman, B. (2015, September 6). What is political science? What should it be? Retrieved from New York University:

Ossenbrink, J., & Stephan, A. (2013). What is the difference between social and natural sciences? Zurich: University of St. Gallen.

Reece, B. L., & Brandt, R. (2008). Effective human relations: Personal and organizational applications (10th ed.). Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Company.

Science Buddies. (2015, September 6). Steps of the scientific method. Retrieved from http://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects/project_scientific_method.shtml