Physics approach?

The relationship between natural and human sciences.

Two main theories about the link

• Reductionism: as our knowledge in areas such as neuroscience and genetics grows the human sciences will be on firmer ground. Use other underlying fields to help explain human sciences

• Problem here: called reductive fallacy– A human being is a bunch of chemicals is we take

this point to the extreme

Holism

• The whole is greater than the sum of the parts- the whole contains properties that cannot in principle be discovered through an analysis of the parts

• Look at a class at school– Atmosphere

• Look at teams– 11 great players but lose everything

Bizzare explanations for each of these

• Playing a cricket match• Eating at McDonalds• Taking an IB exam• Attending a birthday party• Checking in at an airport• Shopping at a supermarket• Working out in a gym

Verstehen Position

• Understanding- the main aim of the human sciences is to understand the manning of various social practices from the inside as they are understood by the agents themselves.– Get inside their heads

• That’s why human sciences have few universal laws

• For the meaning of an action to be understood you must understand the context

Signatures• Someone writing their name on a piece of paper– Autograph– Cheque– Police warrant– Signing a death warrant– Suicide note

• All just signatures when looked at scientifically but when you know the context they are all different

Verstehen Position• Even though a lot of

human behaviors needs context to be understood

• There are still some universal positions in human sciences

Problem of Bias

• One argument against human sciences if the problem of bias

• Human sciences are more prone to bias

Who is the best judge of a child’s character

• Their parents• Their teachers• A professional psychologist

Conclusion

• Human sciences are neither as flawed as their critics believe nor as successful as their defenders hope.