N at u r e a n d F u n c t i o n o f

Social Science Disciplines

w i t h t h e N at u r a l S c i e n c e
and Humanities
Week 1 - Module 1
 Learning Objectives
 Define social science as the study of society
 Distinguish social sciences from the natural
sciences and from the humanities.
 Illustrate situations and context of early scholars
in the development of social science can be
applied.
 SOCIAL
SCIENCE
Social Science is engaged in the study of phenomena
relating to human group and their sociophysical
environment. The term social science carries with it two
important contexts:
1. It involves the scientific process
2. It inquiries about social space
The beginning of social science inquiry or research can
be traced back to ancient Greek philosophers who inquired
on questions of ethics, the nature of man, society, and the
state. Those who begun their philosophies answering
questions about the nature of man soon endeavored to bring
their insights into the nature of societies and the
development of governments.
Social Science started as a field of inquiry on populations
using the scientific method.
The social sciences are the fields of scholarship that
study society. ―Social science‖ is commonly used as an
umbrella term to refer to a plurality of fields outside of the
natural sciences, which include: Anthropology, Archaeology,
Business Administration, Communication, Criminology,
Economics, Education, Government, Linguistics,
International Relations, Political Science, Sociology and, in
some contexts, Geography, History, Law, and Psychology.
What is the difference between Natural
Science, Social Science, and
Humanities?
Social science is a group of academic disciplines that
study aspects related to humans and their social
environment.
Natural science It is a major branch of Science that deals
with the description, prediction and understanding of natural
phenomena, based on observational and empirical evidence.
limits itself to only discussing natural phenomena that occur
can be observed.
Humanities involves a more critical and analytical approach
and deals with law, history, ancient languages, modern
languages, philosophy, history, religion, and the
visual/performing arts. Humanities are considered more
philosophical than social sciences.
1. Social Science: The field of human
knowledge that deals with all aspects
of the group life of human beings. So,
it is subject to change with the
changes of human behavior.
2. Natural Science: Behavioral Science
a branch of science that seeks to elucidate the
rules that
govern the natural world by using the Empirical
and Scientific
method.
 Subject areas:
 Physics
 Chemistry
 Biology
 Earth science
 Astronomy
3. Humanities
• an academic discipline that studies the human
condition, using methods that are primarily
analytical, critical, or speculative.
• Ancient and modern Languages,
• Visual and Performing Arts such as music
• Theatre Arts
• Literature, History, Philosophy, Religion
 HISTORY OF SOCIAL SCIENCE
The history of the social sciences begins in the roots of ancient
philosophy.
 In Ancient history, there was no difference between
Mathematics and the study of History, Poetry or Politics.
 The term ― ”social science” may refer either to the specific
sciences of society established by thinkers such as Comte,
Durkheim, Marx, and Weber, or more generally to all
disciplines outside of noble science and arts.
Plato was an Athenian philosopher
during the Classical period in Ancient
Greece, founder of the Platonist
school of thought, and the Academy,
the first institution of higher learning
in the Western world.
Plato’s philosophy discussed how
human nature or the soul is a
reflection of society and how a society
can achieve harmony by creating
classes or divisions.
Aristotle is a towering figure in
ancient Greek Philosophy, who made
important contributions to Logic,
Criticism, Rhetoric, Physics, Biology,
Psychology,Mathematics,
Metaphysics, Ethics, and Politics. He
was a student of Plato for twenty
years but is famous for rejecting
Plato's theory of forms.
Al Biruni (973-1048)is an Islamic medieval
scholar who documented the lives of early
populations in the Middle East, South Asia,
and the Mediterranean. Some of his most
acclaimed works include: The Remaining
Signs of Past
Century(1000 CE)-which is a comparative
study of the different calendars of cultures
and civilization in the Middle East and South
Asia and Critical Study of
What India says, whether Accepted by
Reason or Refused-which is a detailed
account of the religion and philosophy of
India.
Ib n K h a ld u n ' s e p is t e mo lo g y
a tte m p te d to r e c o n c ile m y s ti c is m w i th th e o l o g y b y
d iv i d i n g S c ie n c e in to tw o d iffe r e n t c a te g o r ie s , th e
r e li g io u s s c ie n c e th a t r e g a r d s th e s c ie n c e s o f th e
Q u r ' a n a n d th e n o n - r e l i g i o u s s c ie n c e .
A n o th e r tr a ilb la z e r in th e s o c i a l s c i e n c e s w a s Ib a n
K h a ld u n i n ( 1 3 3 2 - 1 4 0 6 ) a N o r th A fr ic a n M u s l im
S c h o l a r w h o w a s r e c o g n i z e d a s o n e o f th e k e y
fo u n d e r s o f s e v e r a l d is c i p l i n e s i n th e s o c i a l s c i e n c e s
s u c h a s D e m o g r a p h y, H is to r y, S o c io l o g y, A n th r o p o l o g y
a n d E c o n o m ic s .
H i s m o s t a c c la im e d w o r k i s c a l l e d M u q a d d ima h o f
Ib n K h a ld u n ( 1 3 3 7 ) , w h e r e in h e u s e d th e u n iv e r s a l
h is to r y ( w o r ld h is to r y ) a p p r o a c h th a t e m p h a s iz e d th e
h is to r y o f h u m a n k in d a s a c o h e r e n t u n it o f a n a l y s i s ,
i n s i s ti n g th a t h is to r y b e v o i d o f id l e s u p e r s ti tio n a n d
u n c r i ti c a l a c c e p ta n c e o f h i s to r ic a l d a ta . T h i s
g e r m i n a te d th e p r a c tic e o f ― s c i e n ti fic a p p r o a c h ‖ to
th e s tu d y o f h u ma n p o p u l a ti o n s .
Thomas Hobbes, was an English
philosopher, considered to be one of
the founders of modern political
philosophy. Hobbes is best known for
his 1651 book Leviathan, in which he
expounds an influential formulation of
social contract theory.
He developed the idea that absolute
monarchs are essential to enforce the
will of the people, but argued that the
monarchs’ power came from the
people, and not from divine right.
John Locke FRS was an English philosopher
and physician, widely regarded as one of the
most influential of the Enlightenment thinkers
and commonly known as
John Locke (1632—1704), John Locke was
among the most famous philosophers and
political theorists of the 17th century. He is
often regarded as the founder of a school of
thought known as British Empiricism, and he
also made foundational contributions to
modern theories of limited, liberal
government. He argued that the power of the
state to govern is the power given by the
people for the protection of their inalienable
rights.
Charles-Louis de Secondat, Baron de La
Brède et de Montesquieu , generally
referred to as simply Montesquieu, was a
French judge, man of letters, and political
philosopher. He is the principal source of the
theory of separation of powers, which is
implemented in many constitutions
throughout the world.
Montesquieu developed the idea of the
government having a system of checks and
balances, called for the separation of
government powers into the executive,
legislative, and judicial branches.
Jean-Jacques Rousseau was a Genevan
philosopher, writer and composer. His
political philosophy influenced the progress
of the Enlightenment throughout Europe, as
well as aspects of the French Revolution and
the development of modern political,
economic and educational thought.
He attempted to explain that a social
contract exists, which enables a society to
function toward a general will or a common
good.
Scholars-used critical thinking and scientific
inquiry to address the shifting socioeconomic
condition of their time.
David Émile Durkheim was a French
sociologist. He formally established the
academic discipline of sociology and— with
Karl Marx and Max Weber —is commonly
cited as the principal architect of modern
social science.
He argued in his work The Rules of
Sociological Methods (1895) that everything
in the social realm could be quantifiably
understood. He documented and compared
his work Suicide (1897) the suicide rate
between the Catholic and Protestant
populations,
D i r e c t i o n s : U s i n g t h e Ve n n D i a g r a m b e l o w, w r i t e d o w n t h e d i ff e r e n c e s b e t w e e n N a t u r a l
and Social Sciences. On the space where both circles meet, place the similarities
between the two concepts. Copy and answer this activity in your notebook.

Natural Social
Science Science
 LET’S TEST
YOUR MEMORY!
It refers to the study of the ways in which the
human experience is processed and documented.

A. Humanities C. Geography
B. Philosophy D. Anthropology
He is an Islamic medieval scholar who documented
the lives of early populations in the Middle East,
South Asia, and the Mediterranean.

A. Al-Biruni C. Plato
B. Herodotus D. King Louis XVI
He is an Athenian Philosopher who is the founder of
the Academy, which is considered to be the first
institution of higher learning in the Western World

A. Durkheim
B. Alexis de Tocqueville
C. William Thompson
D. Plato
What are the three developmental stages according
to French philosopher Auguste Comte?

A. Theological, Philosophical, and Scientific

B. Psychology, Philosophy, Economics
C. Empirical, Sociological, and Social
D. Social Science, Natural Science, Humanities
He attempted to reconcile mysticism with theology
by dividing science into two
different categories, the religious science that
regards the sciences of the Qur’an
and the non-religious science.

A. Ibn Khaldun's epistemology C. Durkheim

B. Alexis de Tocqueville D. William Thompson
It is engaged in the study of phenomena relating to
human groups and their socio physical
environment.

A. Anthropology C. Physical Science

B. Social Science D. Political Science
The history of Social Science can be traced back to
the __________.
A. Roots of ancient philosophy C. Greek Historian
B. Roots of modern philosophy D. Ethics
It is a branch of science that seeks to elucidate the
rules that govern the natural world by using the
Empirical and Scientific method.

A. Social Science C Natural Science

B. Humanities D. Physical Science
A major branch of science that deals with the
description, prediction and understanding of natural
phenomena, basically based on observational and
empirical evidence.

A. Natural Science C. Psychology

B. Geography D. Anthropology
It refers to the study of the ways in which the
human experience is processed and documented.
A. Natural Science C. Humanities
B. Social Science D. Philosopher/Scholars