Overview of emergence of social science as a disciplines.pptx

Emergence of social science as a discipline

1. Overview of emergence of social science as a discipline Prof. V Ramadas NCERT, RIE Mysore

2. Social science as a discipline An academic discipline, or a field of study, is a branch of knowledge that is taught at various levels of education and researched at university level. Any field of study has several sub-disciplines or branches. These may at times overlap. As the name itself suggests, Social Science is concerned about society. It aims at understanding all aspects of society as well as finding solutions to deal with social problems. It is a broad area of knowledge and includes several different disciplines under its domain. Some important sub-disciplines of Social Science are Economics, History, Geography, Political Science, Economics and Sociology. In the beginning, the major discipline was Philosophy. Philosophy means love for wisdom or knowledge. That is why even now the highest Degree in any subject is Ph.D. (Doctor of Philosophy). Later, when knowledge started increasing and expanding, a need was felt to classify knowledge into different disciplines. Science and Social Science came to be differentiated. Both refer to different aspects of our reality. Science deals with knowledge regarding the natural and physical world. Social Science on the other hand deals with knowledge concerned with all aspects of society and human beings themselves.

3. Evolution of social sciences Social science e volved during 18th century as a formal field of study and became a part of university/higher education curriculum. Social studies evolved during 20th century as part of school curriculum. The evolution and growth of social sciences is linked to: Modernization, industrialization, renaissance, urbanization, growth of science. The changes in human lives and living were invisible before 18 century. The m ajor developments in 18th Century that brought happiness and problems to human society. Renaissance in Italy and other European countries, French revolution 1789, Industrial revolutions starting from 1767, American war of independence 1776, Development of industrial capitalism, immense development in natural sciences.

4. Major problems of 20th Century Developments Problems Industrialization and modernization M ultitude social problems including d iseases, social alienation, workers exploitation Development of modern science G erm warfare, atoms for destruction of humanity,hazardous chemical and nuclear reaction, Misuse of science World wars (I and II) and other wars I ndefinable misery for mankind E conomic depression (1930 - 1940) F eeling of insecurity, fear, suspicion and distrust among the people Social sciences tried to prevent and check the evil effects of science, industrialization and modernization and to guide the modern society for better future,

5. Social Scientists of 18th century and their major works Exemplary texts of the social sciences. Montesquieu’s Spirit of the Laws (1748), Adam Smith’s Wealth of Nations (1776), Condorcet’s Outline of an Historical View of the Progress of the Human Kind (1795) J.G.Herder’s Idea towards a Philosophy of History (1784-91). These social scientists envisioned that social sciences would guide modern society into the future.

6. Social science in pre-modern age The idea that society may be studied in a systematic and objective manner, with scholarly rules and methodology, is comparatively recent. B efore the modern age l earning of social sciences was informal and unorganized As society became complex and social demands and challenges multiplied, systematic study of social issues became a necessity. T here was rare reference to social sciences i n the ancient and the medieval world, in comparison to the modern world The thoughts/works of Socrates, Plato ( Republic ), Aristotle (Politics) , Confucius () , Kautilya were the early writings in social sciences . The idea/learning of social sciences was embodied in the Civic oath of the Greeks.

7. Social science in pre-modern age Significant contributions to the social sciences were made in Medieval times : Al-Biruni ’s (973–1048) comparative studies of people, religions and cultures in the Middle East , Mediterranean and South Asi a . Ibn Khaldun ’s (1332–1406) works in areas of demography , historiography , the philosophy of history , sociology , and economics. He is best known for his Muqaddimah . In the mediaeval and early modern world, large number of subjects like religious studies, economics, business studies, studies of state affairs etc. became the part of education system.

8. Social sciences in the modern period S ocial sciences become the formal component of higher education/university curriculum in 18 century. N ew branches of social sciences emerged to study/solve/mitigate new social problems arose. After two world wars, social sciences have got high importance in school curriculum in most parts of the world. International organizations like UNO, UNESCO, UNICEF, UNDP, UNO, etc. wanted to promote healthy social living among the people of the world, which put emphasis on learning of social sciences.

9. Social sciences in the modern period S ocial sciences have become a significant part of formal and non-formal education of the modern world To promote the virtues of living together harmoniously and solving the diverse socio-cultural problems of the modern world. Emergence of nation states and the practice of democratic and socialist model of governance in such nation states have made the learning of social sciences necessary at both school and university level, Because social sciences take the responsibility to create effective citizens for the practice of democratic and socialist governance in the nation states.

10. Milestones in social science(modern period) 18 the Century By 1760, some effort was spent on the study of human and society. Hobbes` Leviathan ; Lock’s Two Treatises on Government ; Vico`s New Science ; and M ontesquieu’s Spirit of Laws were all published in this period The revival of interest in social science occurred in the middle of the 18 th century. By this time capitalism had begun to became the dominant socio- economic system in western and northern Europe.

11. 18 the Century I n the second half of 18 th century, urbanisation and population growth were accelerated, and slums, alcoholism, brutality of manners etc developed. These become the targets of social reforms. There was a multiplication of works with a scientific character : Auguste comte ( 1798-1853) invented the term S ociology . He was the first to systematise and give a complete analysis of the principles of the positive character of the social sciences. M ontesquieu (1689-1755) and Voltaire (1994-1778) broke a new path for politics and history.

12. 19 the Century At the beginning of the 19 th century, social science had attained a firm and respectable position in all the leading European countries . The term "social science" first appeared in the 1824 book An Inquiry into the Principles of the Distribution of Wealth Most Conducive to Human Happiness; applied to the Newly Proposed System of Voluntary Equality of Wealth by William Thompson (1775–1833). The contribution of Auguste Comte was accepted. He established Sociology in 1838. Emile Durkheim (1858-1917) and the sociologists of the late 19th and early 20th century were influenced by him. Karl Marx (1818-1883) gave the first general theory of social science. Durkheim, Marx and Max Weber (1864-1920) are cited as the three principal architects of social science.

13. 20th Century In the first half of the 20th century, statistics became a free-standing discipline of applied mathematics . Statistical methods were used confidently, in biology. Sigmund Freud and William James attempted to combine evolutionary theory of Darwin with exploration of human relationships Freud’s framework which impacted not only psychologist, but artists and writers as well. Like Marx, John Dewey (1859–1952) advocated scientific treatment of philosophy to weld Hegelian idealism and logic to experimental science Influenced by both Charles Sanders Peirce and William James , Dewey joined the movement in America called pragmatism . His basic doctrine isn enunciated in "The Influence of Darwin on Philosophy" (1910).

14. Sources For an in depth understanding of evolution of social science read from the following sites: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_social_sciences http://www.dphu.org/uploads/attachements/books/books_4878_0.pdf http://shodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in/bitstream/10603/40587/8/10_chapter1.pdf