Sociology - A Social Science

What is Science Ian Robertson: Science refer to the logical, systematic methods by which knowledge is obtained and to be the actual body of knowledge produced by these methods.

Neuman: Science is a social institution and a way to produce knowledge.

Horton/ Hunt: A Science is a body of organized verified knowledge which has been secured through scientific investigation.

The Nature of Science

• Science is the no-ethical•The Scientist has no techniques•Knowledge attained by him is instrumental •Science is the knowledge and method of investigation•Object world is quite different from the Subject world.•Based on unbiased investigation •Its Self critical

Types of Science

Natural Science

Physical Science

Biological

Science

Social Science

PlantsAnimalsMoon StarsRiver

PhysicsMathematicsChemistryGeology

BiologyAgricultureGeographyAstronomy

SociologyHistoryAnthropologyEconomics

Science as KnowledgeI. Classification of Phenomena

Interaction, Social norms, Groups

II. Interrelationship of CategoriesInstitutions are interrelation of norms.

III. Explanation of the Object worldPrinciplesLawsTheoriesFacts

IV. PredictionSpaceTime

Sociology and other social Science•Economics•Political Science•History•Anthropology •Statistic•Psychology•Education

Sociology and other social Science Differences

Sociology Economics1. Sociology studies all kinds of

social relationships.2. Sociology is a general social

science.3. The Scope of sociology seems

to be wider. it has a comprehensive view point.

4. Sociology is a science of recent emergence.

5. Sociology is abstract in nature and less precise also. Social variables are very difficult to measure and to quantity.

1. But economic deals with only those relationships which are economic in character.

2. Economic is a special social science.

3. The scope of economics is narrower. It does not have a comprehensive viewpoint.

4. Economics has attained an advanced degree of maturity.

5. Economics is a concrete in nature . It is more precise. Economics variables can be measured and quantified more easily and accurately.

Sociology and other social Science Differences

Sociology Political Science1. Sociology is a science of society.2. Sociology studies all kinds of

societies, organized as well as unorganized.

3. Sociology has a wider scope.4. Sociology studies man as

fundamentally a social animal.5. Sociology is a general social science.

hence it studies all kinds or forms of social relations in a general way.

6. The approach of sociology is sociological. It follows its own methods in addition to the scientific method, in its investigations.

7. Finally, Sociology is quite young. It is not even two centuries old.

1. Political Science is a science of state and government.

2. Political science studies only the politically organized societies.

3. Political science has a narrower field.4. Political science studies man as apolitical

animal.5. Political Science is a special social science,

because it concentrates only on the human relationships which are political in character.

6. The approach of political science is political is has its own methods of study like the historical method, philosophical method, comparative method, statistical method, etc.

7. Political science is an older science comparatively. It has centuries of history of its own right from days of plato or cicero.

Sociology and other social Science Differences

Sociology History 1. Sociology is interested in the study of

the present social phenomena with all there complexity.

2. Sociology is relatively a young social science, it has a very short history of its own, it is not even two centuries old.

3. Sociology is an analytical science.4. Sociology is abstract in nature. It

studies mostly regular, and the universal. For example, the sociologist does not study all the wars or battles waged by the mankind. but interested in war itself as a social phenomenon, as one kind of conflict between two groups

5. Sociology is a generalizing science. Sociology seeks to establish generalizations after a careful study of the social phenomena.

6. Sociology follows the sociological approach. It studies human events from the sociological point of social relationships involved.

1. History deals with the past events of man. It is silent regarding the present.

2. History is an age-old social science. It has a long story of 2000 years or even more.

3. History is a descriptive science.4. History is a concrete, the historian is

interested in the unique, the particular and the individual. For example, the historian studies all the war s, the indo-Pak war, etc. for him, each war is unique and significant.

5. History is and individualizing science. History rarely makes generalizations, it seeks to establish the sequence in which events occurred.

6. History studies human events in accordance with the time order. Its approach is historical.

Sociology and other social Science Differences

Sociology Anthroplogy 1. Sociology studies the modern,

civilized and complex societies.2. Sociologists more often study

parts of a society and generally specialize in institutions such as family marriage, or processes, such as social change, social mobility.

3. Sociology study small as well as large societies.

4. Sociology makes use of observation, interview, social survey questionnaires. They and other methods and techniques in its investigations.

1. Anthropology concerns itself with the simple, uncivilized or primitive and non-literate societies.

2. Anthropologist tend to study societies in all their aspects as whole. They concentrate their studies in a given culture their studies in a given culture area, such as Melanesia or negland.

3. Anthropology usually concentrate on small societies such as those of nomads, kutchis, bakarwal etc.

4. Anthropology directly go and live in the communities they study . They make use of direct observations and interviews.

Sociology and other social Science Differences

Sociology Social Psychology 1. Sociology studies Society and

social groups. It has no primary interest in the individual, not in his personality nor in his individual behavior.

2. Sociology analyses social processes.

3. Sociology is interested in the social forms and structures within which the behavior of man takes place.

4. Sociology studies the groups themselves and the larger social structures within with both individual and group processes occur.

5. Sociology studies society from the sociological view point.

1. Social psychology analyses mental processes of man.

2. History is an age-old social science. It has a long story of 2000 years or even more.

3. Psychology studies the individual and social psychology the individual in his social groups.

4. Social psychology studies the individual’s behavior from the viewpoint of psychological factors involved.

5. Social psychology studies the behavior of individual in group situation or in society. Its focus of interest is individual and not the society as such.