Introduction to Social Science
On September 11, 2001, eighteen men boarded airplanes with the intent of crashing them into the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and the White House or Capitol. They succeeded with three of the planes, causing enormous destruction. The fourth plane crashed, but thanks to passengers who discovered the highjackers’ plans and attacked the highjackers, the destruction of the White House or Capitol was prevented. What forces drove the highjackers to undertake such action? What forces led the passengers to organize together to thwart them? What might have prevented the highjackings? Such questions fall under the purview of social science—the scientific study of social, cultural, psychological, economic, and political forces that guide individuals in their actions.
Formal social science is relatively new. Nevertheless, 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 about the nature, growth, and functioning of human societies. Social science is the name given to that system of knowledge.
All knowledge is (1) knowledge of human beings, including their culture and products, and (2) knowledge of the natural environment. Human culture has been changing, and knowledge about it has been gradually accumulating ever since the far distant time when humans first assumed their distinctively human character. But until rather recent times, this knowledge was not scientific in the modern sense. Scientific knowledge is the knowledge that has been systematically gathered, classified, related, and interpreted. It is concerned with learning the concepts and applying those concepts to particulars, rather than just learning a vast amount of information.
CONTINUE READING, CLICK HERE...
Retrieved from http://www.dphu.org/uploads/attachements/books/books_4878_0.pdf
On September 11, 2001, eighteen men boarded airplanes with the intent of crashing them into the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and the White House or Capitol. They succeeded with three of the planes, causing enormous destruction. The fourth plane crashed, but thanks to passengers who discovered the highjackers’ plans and attacked the highjackers, the destruction of the White House or Capitol was prevented. What forces drove the highjackers to undertake such action? What forces led the passengers to organize together to thwart them? What might have prevented the highjackings? Such questions fall under the purview of social science—the scientific study of social, cultural, psychological, economic, and political forces that guide individuals in their actions.
Formal social science is relatively new. Nevertheless, 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 about the nature, growth, and functioning of human societies. Social science is the name given to that system of knowledge.
All knowledge is (1) knowledge of human beings, including their culture and products, and (2) knowledge of the natural environment. Human culture has been changing, and knowledge about it has been gradually accumulating ever since the far distant time when humans first assumed their distinctively human character. But until rather recent times, this knowledge was not scientific in the modern sense. Scientific knowledge is the knowledge that has been systematically gathered, classified, related, and interpreted. It is concerned with learning the concepts and applying those concepts to particulars, rather than just learning a vast amount of information.
CONTINUE READING, CLICK HERE...
Retrieved from http://www.dphu.org/uploads/attachements/books/books_4878_0.pdf
