The Birth and Growth of Social

Sciences

The Historical Background of the Growth of

Social Sciences
The origin of social sciences can be traced back to
the ancient Greek philosophers Socrates, Plato,
and Aristotle.
Before the birth of modern sciences in th west,
the study of society, culture, and politics were
based on social and political philosophy (Scott,
2006). Thus, social and political philosophies
were informed by theological reasoning grounded
in Revelation based on the Bible because of the
dominance of religious worldview and authority
• Philosophy is based on analytic understanding
of the nature of truth asserted about specific
topics of issues. it asks the questions: “What is
the nature of truth?”, “How do we know what
we know?”
• Science are based on empirical data, tested
theories, and carefully contrived observation. It
does not ask question about the nature of truth;
it seeks to discover truth about happenings in te
natural world. It is inductive.
• Before the Modern Period, the growth of
modern sciences was slowed down because of
the dominance of religious authority and
tradition. However, with the breakdown of the
Church and its religious power after the French
Revolution, the sciences grew steadily and
rapidly to become the most widely accepted way
of explaining the world, nature, and human
beings (Harrington, 2006).
 The Unprecedent Growth of Science
• Nicolaus Copernicus (1473-1543)- begun the Scientific
Revolution which refers to the change of thought and belief to
changes in social and institutional organization.
• Sir Isaac Newton (1643-1727)- proposed universal laws of
motion and a mechanical model of the Universe; discovered
gravity
• Sir Francis Bacon- established the supremacy of reason over
imagination
• Renẻ Descartes (1596-1650)- a french Philosopher,
Mathematician, and writer who is consdered the father of
modern philosophy. He advocated the use of rigorous
The Secularization of Learning and Education
• The triumph of Reason and science over dogma and
religious authority began with the reformation. The
Protestant movement led by Martin Luther eroded the
power of the Roman Catholic Church.
• Enlightenment- a largely cultural movement emphasizing
rationalism as well as political and economic theories and
was clearly built on the Scientific Revolution.
• Immanuel Kant- led the philosophers in challenging the use
of metaphysics or absolute truth derived mainly from
unjustfied tradition and authority such as the existence of
God. He advocated the use of reason in order to know the
• Enlightenment is the the courage to know. - Kant

Sapereaude!
“Have the courage to use your own reason”

-Motto of Enlightenment
• Max Weber one of the leading figures in sociology
described the process of rationalization
• Rationalization- means that social life is more and more
subjected to calculationa nd prediction.
• Louis Pasteur- discovered teh germ theory and
development of vaccination which made people rely on
medical knowledge to deal withe diseases rather than
divine intervention.
• Francois Lyotard (1984)- points out Science triumphed
because it provided reliable results.
• Another elemement of Rationalization is the separation
beteen different social spheres, especially between the
Church and the Universities.