Birth & Growth of

Social Sciences

MR. DANILO F. MARIBAO

Paliparan III Senior High School
Dasmarinas City, Cavite
 The Historical Background of the
Growth of Social Sciences

Greek Philosophers

Socrates
Aristotle
Plato
Before the birth of modern social
sciences in the West, the study of
society, culture, and politics were based
on social and political philosophy.

In return, social and political

philosophies were informed by
theological reasoning grounded in
Revelation based on the Bible.
PHILOSOPHY THEOLOGY
DISTINCT

SCIENCE
Analytic understanding of
nature of truth

NATURE
“What is the Nature of Truth” “How do we know what we know?”
SCIENCES
Based on empirical data, tested
theories, and carefully contrived
observations.

Seeks to discover the truth about

specific causes of events and
happenings in the natural world.
 Development of Social Sciences

SCIENCE HUMANITIES
PURE SCIENCE VISUAL ARTS
APPLIED SCIENCE PERFORMING ARTS
SOCIAL SCIENCE RELIGION
LAW
LINGUISTICS
HISTORY
 UNPRECEDENTED GROWTH OF SCIENCE
Scientific Revolution Nicolaus Copernicus – refers to historical
changes in thought and belief, to
changes in social and institutional
organization, that unfolded in Europe.
 ISAAC NEWTON

Proposed universal laws of

motion and mechanical
model of the universe.

Laid the foundation that allowed science and technology to

change the world
Discover gravity
FRANCIS BACON

Established the
supremacy of reason
over imagination.
French Philosopher, Rene Descartes
mathematician, and writer
who considered the father of
modern philosophy

Advocated the use of

rigorous philosophical
analysis to arrive the truth
rather than basing them on
dogmas.
Secularization of Modern period marked the
Learning and growing triumph of scientific
Education method over religious dogma
and technological thinking.

The triumph of reason and

science over dogma and
religious authority began with
the reformaton.
 MARTIN LUTHER

Organized the protestant

movement and eroded the
power of the Roman Catholic
Church.

Challenged the infallibility of the Pope and democratized the

interpretation of the Bible.
 Immanuel Kant
Challenged the use of Metaphysics or
absolute truth derived mainly from
unjustified tradition and authority such as
the existence of God.
Advocated the use of reason in order to
know the nature of the world and human
beings.
Wrote the famous Essay “What is Enlightenment” that define
enlightenment as the courage to know.
 Max Weber
One of the leading figures in modern
sociology.
Described this process as
RATIONALIZATION.
RATIONALIZATION – means that social life is more and more
subjected to calculation and prediction.
Can only be achieved if human beings and society rely on
regularities established by modern science.
 LOUIS PASTUER
Discoveries of Germ theory and
develop vaccination.
People relied more and more on
medical knowledge to deal with
diseases.
 FRANCOIS LYOTARD

French Sociologist points out science

triumphed because it provided reliable
results.
THE RISE OF UNIVERSITIES
Education is the single most important factors in the rise
of social sciences.
The growth of universities also contributed
to the triumph of sciences.
One of the founding “fathers” of sociology.

Emile Durkhiem
The Dissolution of Feudal Social Relation

The development forced many social scientists during this

time study the effects of the dissolution of feudal
relations on this social life of the people.
German sociologist, lamented the passing
away of gemeinschaft or community because
of urbanization.
Trade and Commerce
Marco Polo – a Italian merchant from Venice inspired
Columbus five journeys to America.

Ferdinand Magellan – circumnavigate the

world.
Harriet Martineau
Founding mother of sociology

A British political economist and sociologist,

social scientist shifted their attention to non-
western world as a model of the early stage of
Western Civilization.
 The Rise of Individualism
The intensification od commerce and trade gradually replaced
barter with the induction of money and banking.
German Sociologist in the early 20th century,
to decry the growing depersonalization of life
due to the introduction of money.

George Simmel
 Augusto Comte
French philosopher and mathematician, is the
founding father of sociology.
- He coined the term “sociology” but he originally
used “social physics” as a term for sociology,

Stages of Development:

Theological stage
Metaphysics stage
Positive stage
 Karl Marx
Introduced the materialist analysis of history
which discounts religious and metaphysical
explanation for historical development.
Franz Boas
Considered as the father of modern
American anthropology.

The first anthropologist to have rejected

the biological basis of racism or racial
discrimination.
 Bronislaw Malinowski
Another anthropologist who contribution to
the development of modern anthropology.

Polish immigrant who did a comprehensive

study of Trobriand Island.
Participation Observation – a method of social science research
that requires the anthropologists to have the ability to
participate and blend with the way of life of a given group of
people.
 R. Radcliffe Brown
He did fieldwork on the Andaman Islands
east of India, and published his reports in
the diffusionist style, but later shifted his
theoretical orientation.