Diss

• Social Science aims to analyze, explain, and predict human behavior, generating new factual information through empirical, rational, and objective methodology
• Humanities seek to better appreciate the meaning and purpose of human experience, generating wisdom to explore and address big questions through analysis and reflective thinking
• Natural Science aims to understand, explain, and predict the world we live in, discovering the laws that govern it through methods like observation and experiment
• Anthropology, derived from "anthropos" (human) and "logos" (study), is the science of humanity, studying human beings in aspects ranging from biology and origins to provide a holistic account of humans and human nature
• Economics, from "economy" (household management), studies the efficient allocation of scarce resources to satisfy unlimited needs and wants
• Geography, from "Geo" (earth) and "grophein" (description), studies places and the relationship between people and their environment
• History, from "Historia" (inquiry, narrative) and "historie," studies the past as described in written documents
• Linguistics, from "Lingua" (tongue, language), is the scientific study of language, analyzing traditional human language
• Political Science, from "politika" (affairs of the cities), is the analysis of political activity
• Sociology, from "socius" (people together) and "logos" (study), studies human social relationships and institutions
• Psychology, from "Psych" (mind), studies behavior and mind, seeking to understand individuals and groups by establishing general principles
• Demography, from "Demos" (people) and "grophein" (description), is the statistical study of population, focusing on statistics like birth, death, income, or the incidence of disease
• The emergence of Social Science occurred in the 19th Century, with no distinction between the disciplines now considered liberal arts and sciences in ancient times
• In the 18th Century, urbanization and population growth accelerated, leading to social reforms targeting issues like slums, alcoholism, and brutality of manners
• Auguste Comte (1798-1853) coined the term sociology and systemized the principles, supported by Emile Durkheim who initiated the study of social facts
• Karl Marx (1818-1883) introduced the first general theory of social science, emphasizing the materialist analysis of history
• In the 20th Century, statistics became a standalone discipline, influencing social scientists to apply mathematical and scientific methods
• Structural Functionalism, developed by Talcott Parsons in the 1930s, views society as a complete system where parts work together to promote solidarity and stability
• Robert Merton expanded the concept of social function, distinguishing between manifest functions (intended consequences) and latent functions (unintended consequences)
• Manifest functions of social patterns are the recognized and intended consequences, while latent functions are the unrecognized and unintended consequences
• Example: Media

  • Manifest Function: to inform and educate the public
  • Latent Function: Entertainment
• Merton coined the term "Social dysfunction" to refer to any social pattern that may disrupt the operation of society
• Parsons identified 4 imperatives for societies to survive using the "AGIL method":

  • Adaption: acquiring & mobilizing sufficient resources for survival
  • Goal Attainment: setting and implementing goals
  • Integration: maintaining solidarity/coordination among the sub units of society
  • Latency: creating, preserving, and transmitting the system's distinctive culture and values
• Marxism, originating from Karl Marx, focuses on social conflict and class struggle, with the core concept being the "Materialist Conception of History"
• Marx's stages of history from the Marxist Perspective:

  1. Primitive Communism

  2. Slavery

  3. Feudalism

  4. Capitalism

  5. Socialism

  6. Communism
• Critiques of Capitalism according to Marx:

  • Modern work brings about alienation
  • Alienation is reinforced when labor specialization renders work monotonous due to the repetition of tasks
  • Marx predicted the fall of capitalism as inevitable
• Symbolic Interactionism is a sociological framework focusing on the meanings individuals attach to objects, people, and interactions, influenced by figures like George Herbert Mead and Charles Horton Cooley
• Psychoanalysis, initiated by Sigmund Freud, theorized 3 levels of consciousness and 3 components of personality: Id, Ego, and Superego
• Rational Choice Theory (RCT) is a theoretical approach used in economics and political science, based on rationality, goal orientation, and self-interest
• Institutionalism studies how political behavior and identities are shaped by institutions, with branches like Rational Choice Institutionalism, Sociological Institutionalism, and Historical Institutionalism
• Social Science aims to analyze, explain, and predict human behavior, generating new factual information through empirical, rational, and objective methodology
• Humanities seek to better appreciate the meaning and purpose of human experience, generating wisdom to explore and address big questions through analysis and reflective thinking
• Natural Science aims to understand, explain, and predict the world we live in, discovering the laws that govern it through methods like observation and experiment
• Anthropology, derived from "anthropos" (human) and "logos" (study), is the science of humanity, studying human beings in aspects ranging from biology and origins to provide a holistic account of humans and human nature
• Economics, from "economy" (household management), is the study of the efficient allocation of scarce resources to satisfy unlimited needs and wants
• Geography, from "Geo" (earth) and "grophein" (description), studies places and the relationship between people and their environment
• History, from "Historia" (inquiry, narrative) and "historie", is the study of the past as described in written documents
• Linguistics, from "Lingua" (tongue, language), is the scientific study of language, analyzing traditional human language
• Political Science, from "politika" (affairs of the cities), is the analysis of political activity and institutions
• Sociology, from "socius" (people together) and "logos" (study), is the study of human social relationships and institutions