Essay On Modern Social Sciences

1. From where do the modern social sciences in America come?

The modern social sciences came out of the older, established humanistic traditions (i.e. history, philosophy, morals, etc.) that were dominated by upper class intellectuals (not associated with academic institutions), government officials, and religious instructors (i.e. clergymen). Clergymen often addressed social scientific topics such as political economy and philosophical psychology (that had been established in Britain and other foreign nations) in their courses on moral and mental philosophy. During the same period, independent academics and government officials began to lay the foundation for the modern social sciences. Social scientific topics were included in the research

The major drive/motivation to form the social sciences into distinct modes of inquiry was the desire to “extend social knowledge and provide a more authoritative basis for dealing with contemporary social problems” (Ross 85). Pioneers of the social sciences wanted to teach rational scientific principles to the future leaders of society in order to correct certain societal ills. With this motive in mind, the social sciences broke with the old humanistic disciplines by focusing on predictable patterns underlying social development and adopting objective, scientific methodologies (Ross 83). Other factors that promoted the emergence of the social sciences as distinct disciplines included the growth of social scientific knowledge in Europe, the development of evolutionary theory, and advancements in laboratory experimentation (mostly in psychology). As each of the emerging social sciences developed their own methods and theories, they began to form distinct disciplines that adopted differing modes of

Initially, early work in the emerging social sciences desired to “extend social knowledge and provide a more authoritative basis for dealing with contemporary social problems” (Ross 85). These pioneers of social science wanted to teach rational scientific principles to the future leaders of society in order to correct certain societal ills. In the 1880s, “militant” groups began to emphasize the use of empirical investigation to promote social accord and “moral betterment.” More specifically, they believed 1) that social science research was meant to bring about reforms in society and government and 2) that research could be conducted with moral/ethical conceptions. The general purpose of social science was altered once again when the militant group began to push for increased professionalization and occupational autonomy. Now, social science was to be conducted by research-oriented scholars whose inquiry was completely divorced from ethical/moral judgments and goals of achieving societal reform. Instead, the objective of research was to present purely empirical and apolitical results that prized scientific accuracy above social utility. After World War II, counter movements in the social sciences began to emerge which emphasized the use of subjectivity and value judgments in research. Ultimately, Ross explains that a cyclical pattern has emerged between those