You probably realize by now that some things are a lot easier when you’re surrounded by a supportive community. Conversely, when bad stuff becomes embedded in a community as a whole, it can become much harder to change it. With community being so important to human success or failure, it’s no wonder entire scientific disciplines have sprung up around it.
Social sciences used to just refer to sociology, which is specifically about human social behavior and how we interact with each other. It’s since been broadened to span other disciplines, such as anthropology (“the science of man”, a broader subject including human culture, society and biology), history, political science, economics, criminal justice and even linguistics. What they all have in common is that they try to explain how our societies have developed and how they might change in the future.
The Age of Enlightenment kicked off in the late 1600s and marked a major shift in attitudes to science and philosophy. This was the time when ideas about social science first started to develop. Today, most colleges and universities will offer courses on at least some branches of the social sciences, but it’s a diverse field with a wide range of possible topics.
Sometimes, social scientists will design experiments that they can carry out in a lab. Other times, developing a better understanding of human society means you have to go out into human society, observing people in their natural habitat. Like any kind of science, you need testable hypotheses to create studies and statistical analysis to quantify the results. Still, subjectivity can creep in.
They may be called “sciences” and they may be vital to our understanding of humanity, but social sciences don’t always come with the attention (and therefore funding) of the so-called “natural” sciences, like physics and chemistry, that try to explain the natural, physical world. It can be an uphill struggle embarking on a social studies career, but that doesn’t mean it’s not a highly worthwhile field.
Successful communities see better health outcomes, both physically and mentally. Understanding how communities work is vital when trying to set public policy. It’s in everyone’s interest to pay attention to the social scientists, so don’t listen to anyone who tries to tell you it’s not proper science. For society to improve, first we need to understand it.
