Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
Sciences
-based on empirical data, tested theories, and carefully contrived observations
-it does not ask the question about the nature of truth
The development of the social sciences during the modern period was made possible by several
large scale social upheavals and pivotal events.
Science Humanities
Law
Linguistics
History
Protestant Movement
-led by Martin Luther
-eroded the power of the Roman Catholic Church
-it challenged the infallibility of the Pope and democratized the interpretation of the Bible
Enlightenment
-largely a cultural movement
-emphasized rationalism as well as political and economic theory
-it clearly built on the Scientific Revolution
Age of Enlightenment
-philosophers led by Immanuel Kant challenged the use of metaphysics or absolute truth derived
mainly from unjustified tradition and authority (such as the existence of God)
-Kant advocated the use of reason in order to know the nature of the world and human beings
Medieval Period
-universities relied mainly on religious tradition and the Bible to explain the nature of the universe
and the place of human being in the grand scheme of things
-modern universities started to rely on science and its method to interpret the world
Max Weber (one of the leading figures in Modern Sociology):
described this process as rationalization
Rationalization social life is more and more subjected to calculation and prediction
(calculation and prediction can only be achieved if human beings and society rely on regularities
established by modern science)
Separation between different social spheres, especially between the church and the universities.
The collapse of religious authority and the gradual erosion of religious domination over
social life of the people led to the use of humanistic resources such as ancient philosophy and
humanities to advance human knowledge of independent Revelation
Harriet Martineau
-writer, ethnographer, political economist, sociologist
-Mother of Sociology
Karl Marx
-Father of Scientific Socialism
Emile Durkheim
-Pioneer of Functionalism in Sociology
Max Weber
-Pioneer of Interpretative Sociology
ANTHROPOLOGY
Franz Boas
-Father of American Anthropology
With globalization, social sciences welcome the proliferation of different social theories and
ideological orientations
The critique of Eurocentrism of traditional social sciences allows indigenous cultures and
other non-western subjugated knowledges to reclaim their voices.
Other than decolonizing western social sciences, social sciences are also being transformed
by feminism and post-modern currents.