The Human The Human SciencesSciences

List as many features as you can that distinguish human beings from other animals.

To what extent do these features make it difficult to study human beings in a scientific way?

TASKTASKList five examples of human

behaviour that you are convinced would hold true for all people in all circumstances.

List five examples of human behaviour that you believe would hold true for 80% of all people, 80% of the time

TASKTASKHow would you go about finding

out, as accurately as possible, the attitude of people between 70 and 80 years old to the Internet?

If you choose to live anywhere in the world where would you choose to live and what measurable factors could help you make your choice?

How does the use of numbers, statistics, graphs and other quantitativeinstruments affect the way knowledge claims in the human sciences are valued?

“The only possible conclusion the social sciences can draw is: some do, some don’t.” Ernest Rutherford

Do you agree with this statement regarding the Human Sciences?

What are the social sciencesWhat are the social sciencesAnthropology [The study of humans

societies and customs]Economics [The study of the

production and distribution of wealth]Political Science [The study of the

state and systems of government]Sociology [The study of the structure

and functioning of human society]Psychology [The study of the human

mind and its behaviour in specific contexts]

ObservationObservation1. Seeing what can’t be seen2. Being seen by the seen3. Seeing what you want to see

TASK: Reality TV has become popular in

many countries, with the series like Big Brother, Survivor and Star Academy. What, if anything, do we learn about human nature from such programmes?

Conclusion: Conclusion: Observing in the social sciences is

not the same as observing in the natural sciences.

1. Social science is concerned with concepts that may not be observed through the physical senses.

2. What is observed can be distorted, either deliberately or otherwise, by the what or who is being observed.

3. Objective value free observation is even more difficult than it is in the natural sciences.

OTHER RESOURCEOTHER RESOURCE Milgram's Obedience to Authority Experiment 2009 1/3

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BcvSNg0HZwk

Abusing statistics for politics and profithttp://midimagic.sgc-hosting.com/statabus.htm