The history of the social sciences began in the roots of ancient

philosophy,
Thales of Miletus, a Greek Mathematician
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In ancient history, there was no difference between

Mathematics and the study of history, poetry, or politics, only
with the development of mathematical proof did there
gradually arise a perceived difference between “scientific”
disciplines and others such as the “humanities” or “liberal arts.”
The Age of Enlightenment saw a revolution within natural
philosophy, changing the basic framework by which individuals
understood what was “scientific” - Galileo Galilei

Social sciences came forth from the moral philosophy of the

time and were influenced by the Age of Revolution, such as the
Industrial Revolution and the French Revolution. The Social
Sciences developed from the sciences (experimental and
applied), or the systematic knowledge-bases or prescriptive
practices, relating to the social improvement of a group of
interacting entities
 Thomas Hobbes` Leviathan
“Leviathan,” comes into being when its individual members
renounce their powers to execute the laws of nature, each for
himself, and promise to turn these powers over to the
sovereign— which is created as a result of this act —and to
obey thenceforth the laws made by the state.

John Locke’s Two Treatises on Government

According to Locke, governments do not exist until people
create them. Locke believed that in a state of nature, no one
would have the right to govern (rule over) you, and you would
not have the right to govern anyone else.

According to Locke, a ruler gains authority through the consent

of the governed. The duty of that government is to protect the
natural rights of the people, which Locke believed to include
life, liberty, and property.

Giambattista Vico
He advanced the idea that human beings in their origins are not
rational, like philosophers, but imaginative, like poets.
 Baron de Montesquieu
Montesquieu wrote that the main purpose of government is to
maintain law and order, political liberty, and the property of
the individual.

Auguste Comte (1798-1853)

He invented the term sociology. He was the first to systematize
and give a complete analysis of the principles of the positive
character of the Social Sciences.

World History according to Peter Stearns in the 19th Century

Development
The contribution of Auguste Comte was accepted immediately;
Emile Durkheim and the sociologists of the late century and
early century were influenced by him.

Karl Marx gave the first general theory of social science.

World History according to Peter Stearns in the 20th Century
Development
At this stage, social science has become institutionalized to a
high degree. It has now become a subject of research.
Lawrence A. Kempton in his article “Social Sciences Today”
states that social science as science is very young and there is
confusion with regards to its limits and boundaries.

History moves into the humanities, economics becomes

Mathematics, anthropology and psychology ally themselves
with biology and geography is at home with physical science.
Social Science has now become a subject of research on the
part of an academic specialist

Definitions of Social Sciences, Natural Sciences, and

Humanities Social Sciences

Social Science
A branch of science devoted to the study of societies and the
relationships among individuals within those societies.
The term social sciences thus embrace all those subjects which
deal with the relationship of man to the society.
 Humanities
It refers to the study of the ways in which the human
experience is processed and documented. Humanities
encompass the field of philosophy, literature, religion, art,
music, history, and language.

Natural Science
A major branch of science that deals with the description,
prediction, and understanding of natural phenomena, basically
based on observational and empirical evidence

Natural Science
1. Life Sciences/Biological Science
2. Physical Science
 Physics
 Astronomy
 Chemistry
 Earth Science

Life Sciences / Biological Science

It studies life in all its forms, past and present. This includes,
animals, viruses and bacteria, single-celled organisms, and even
cells.
Physical Science
is the systematic study of the inorganic world, as distinct from
the study of the organic world, which is the province of
biological science.

Physics
The science in which matter and energy are studied both
separately and in combination with one another.

Astronomy
The scientific study of celestial objects and phenomena that
originate outside the Earth's atmosphere.

Chemistry
The study of matter and its transformations and the
development of methods to manipulate those transformations
to create new and useful forms of matter.

Earth Science
The study of the Earth and its neighbors in space. It is an
exciting science with many interesting and practical
applications.