development of social science in research field

1. Philosophy of social science
branch of philosophy that examines the concepts, methods,
and logic of the social sciences.
The philosophy of social science is consequently a
metatheoretical (a theory concerned with the investigation, analysis,
or description of theory itself) endeavor—a theory about theories of
social life
The concept of a metatheory suggests that theories derive from
other theories, so that there are always prior theoretical assumptions
and commitments behind any theoretical formulation

2. philosophy of social science
The philosophy of social science can be broadly
• philosophers of social science investigate both the practice of the
social sciences and the nature of the entities that the social sciences
study—namely, human beings themselves.
• descriptive (unearthing the fundamental conceptual tools in social
science and relating them to the tools employed in other human
endeavors),
• prescriptive (recommending that a certain approach be adopted by
the social sciences so that they can accomplish what the
recommender thinks social science ought to accomplish), or some
combination of the two.

3. philosophy of social inquiry or “philosophy of social studies.
By whatever name the field is called,
• it ought to be clear that whether or how the study of human social behavior is
scientific is an open question that is part of the business of the philosopher of
social sciences to address.
area to be studied under “social studies” calls
• attention to how wide the field of inquiry into human behavior and relations is.
• In addition to the core disciplines of economics, political science, anthropology,
and sociology, the social studies also include such disparate disciplines
as archaeology, demography, human geography, linguistics, social psychology, and
aspects of cognitive science, among others.
• This should indicate the range of the field that the philosophy of social
sciences encompasses and how diverse the questions, methods, concepts, and
explanatory strategies are within the field.

4. philosophy of social science
Human actions can be described as self-evidently meaningful; they are typically
performed for a purpose and express an intention, and they also often follow rules that
make them the kinds of action they are. Thus, people do not simply move their limbs or
emit sounds, they vote or marry or sell or communicate, and, when they do, their actions
and relations appear to be different in kind from the behavior of other animals, especially
nonconscious animals (such as sponges). Philosophers mark this difference by saying that
humans act, whereas entities that lack consciousness or that lack the capacity to form
intentions merely move.

5. Development of social science:
Social sciences are the fields of study that deal with interactions among
people, human relationships, how people act in social settings or societies, and
how societies function.
The social sciences essentially encompass any scholastic discipline that
is concerned with the social or cultural elements of human behavior.
People study social sciences to better understand how a given society or
social environment functions, why people act the way they do in a society, and
how social and cultural elements of a society influence people’s behavior.
The information obtained from studies conducted within various social
sciences can be a valuable aid in decision making for companies and non-profit
organizations, governmental agencies, community leaders, and legislative
policymakers.

6. Development of social science
• The development of social sciences is a
relatively recent one in the overall field of
scientific inquiry. The term “social
science” did not formally exist before the
19th century and did not become a
generally recognized category of study,
science, or education until the
20th century.
• Social sciences rely heavily on both
quantitative and qualitative research
methodologies. Therefore, it was difficult
to conduct sound, structured scientific
inquiry into human social behavior until
statistical analysis became a recognized
field within applied mathematics during
the early part of the 20th century.

7. The development of social sciences is a
• social sciences are concerned with the
things that lie outside the view of natural
sciences, such as biology and chemistry.
• Whereas, natural sciences are
focused on understanding the
properties of the physical world,
• social sciences are focused on understanding
relationships and the ways in which people
interact with each other.
• The primary foundation of social science is
philosophy – the general and theoretical study
of the nature of existence, knowledge,
reasoning, and moral values. However, the
study of philosophy is largely a theoretical
endeavor

8. The primary foundation of social science is philosophy –
• the general and theoretical study of the nature of existence, knowledge, reasoning, and
moral values. However, the study of philosophy is largely a theoretical endeavor.
• On the other hand, social science has taken philosophical theories and has attempted –
by gathering and analyzing data and conducting experiments – to discern more clearly, and
for more practical purposes, how and why people interact with each other and function
within social groups.
For example, the disciplines of sociology, psychology, political science, and marketing, in the
past, all conducted inquiries and experiments with the goal of determining what motivates
people to vote for a specific candidate or to support a specified social or political cause.