Introduction to Social Sciences

• Social sciences explore human behavior and societies, including disciplines like sociology, psychology, economics, political science, and anthropology.
• Social sciences developed from the Age of Enlightenment, beginning in the late 17th and 18th centuries.
• The term "social science" was coined in French in 1767.

19th Century: Establishing the Disciplines

• Social sciences began to form distinct disciplines in the 19th century.
• Auguste Comte (1798-1857), a French philosopher, introduced "sociology" to describe the scientific study of society.
• Karl Marx (1818-1883) analyzed the effects of capitalism on class relations, influencing economics and political science.

20th Century: Growth and Diversification

• Rapid growth in social sciences occurred during the 20th century.

The Nature of Human Being

• Human nature refers to the fundamental traits and behaviors shared by all humans.
• Three main perspectives on human nature include the philosophical, social science, and scientific perspectives.

Philosophical Perspective

• Examines morality, rationality, and free will in human nature.
• Aristotle: "Humans are political animals who seek community."
• Kant: "Humans are rational beings capable of moral decisions."

Modern View

• Human nature is not fixed and is influenced by environment, experiences, and culture.

Social Science

• Studies human behavior in cultural and societal contexts.
• Anthropology and Sociology focus on how humans learn behavior from social interactions and cultural norms.

Scientific (Evolutionary Biology)

• Explains human nature through evolution and adaptation.
• Charles Darwin's Evolutionary Theory states human traits developed through natural selection for survival.
• Intelligence, cooperation, and emotions helped early humans adapt.
• Genetics & Neuroscience explains human nature is influenced by both biology and environment.
• Human nature encompasses the general psychological characteristics, feelings, and behavioral traits shared by all humans.
• Aquinas's theory suggests humans are composed of primary matter and human form, surviving autonomously after death and seeing God in paradise.

Common views

• Materialistic nature- lacking divine plan for earthly creation
• Spiritual being- neglecting the body to free the soul from materialism's shackles.
• intellectual beings, valuing intellect as the master of everything and the ultimate judge over revelation.
• sinful being- essential in human existence, as mankind inherited sin and is desperately looking for salvation.

Religious Perspective

• Wheel of Dharma:
• 1. Dukka: The Noble Truth of the Suffering
• 2. Samudaya: The Noble Truth of the Cause of Suffering.
• 3. Nirodha: The Noble Truth of the End of Suffering.
• 4. Magga: The Noble Truth of the Path.
• a new awakening can be reached called the Middle Way.
• Confucianism was founded in China as a way of life taught by Confucius.
• The main principle of this religion is ren or humaneness.
• This religion also focuses on four main principles: li, zhong, shu, and xiao, all called constitute de (virtue).
• The belief is that humans can become perfected through personal and communal endeavors.
• Hinduism, founded in India, believes in Dharma(the ultimate moral balance), Karma( consequences) & Samsara (the cycle of life, death, and rebirth) , Moksha (liberation)
• The Islamic view of human nature recognizes that humans are equal in both good and evil.
• It emphasizes the interconnectedness of faith and action.
• Christianity teaches the doctrine of "original sin", stating all humans are born with an inherent sinful nature, leading to eternal damnation

Philosophical Perspective

• Plato believed that human nature is closely linked to the ability to think and act rationally.
• Animals are viewed as without reason, requiring mechanistic explanation, separating humans from nature.
• Genetics in the human body significantly influence an individual's behavior.
• Philosophical underpinnings are the fundamental ideas and assumptions that shape our understanding of human behavior, culture, and societal structures.
• They help us figure out what's right or wrong, what's true or false, and how to think carefully about things.

Key branches of philosophy

• Metaphysics: The study of reality and existence.
• Epistemology: The study of knowledge.
• Ethics: The study of moral principles and values.
• Axiology: The study of value, including aesthetics and ethics.
• Ontology: The study of the nature of being.
• Empiricism suggests knowledge comes primarily from sensory experience
• Rationalism argues that knowledge comes from reason and thought

Importance of Philosophical Underpinning:

• Gives a solid base for understanding life.
• Guides how we think, what we believe, and how we act in different situations.
• Helps answer big questions like "What is right?" or "What is real?"
• Helps us create rules, laws, and systems that work for everyone, making life more fair and organized.

Philosophical Underpinning helps in several ways

• Guiding Decision-Making
• Improving Critical Thinking
• Clarifying Values
• Shaping Ethical Behavior
• Understanding the World
• Promoting Open-Mindedness
• Building Stronger Societies

Creationism vs. Evolutionism

• Creationism is the belief that the universe and living organisms originate from specific acts of divine creation, as in the biblical account.

Three types of Creationism

• Young Earth Creationism believes the Earth and all life were created by a divine being, often God.
• Old Earth Creationism combines special creation with scientific evidence that the Earth and universe are billions of years old.
• Theistic creationism, also known as evolutionary creationism, believes God created the universe through laws of nature.
• Evolutionism is the scientific understanding that species change over time through natural selection, genetic mutation, and adaptation.
• Theories of Evolution

BIG BANG THEORY

• Proposes the universe's inception as a single point of infinite density and heat, then expanded.

THEORY OF EVOLUTION BY NATURAL SELECTION

• Charles Darwin introduced it in his 1859 book, On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection.

Why do organisms evolve

• Organisms evolve to better survive in their environment(Survival and Adaptation).
• Traits that enhance survival and reproduction become more common over generations(Natural Selection).
• Random mutations introduce new traits that may benefit the species(Genetic Mutations).
• Climate shifts, predators, and food availability drive evolution(Environmental Changes).
• The basics of evolution are natural selection, mutation, genetic drift, and speciation.

Contributors to Evolutionism

• Charles Darwin introduced natural selection in On the Origin of Species (1859).
• Gregor Mendel discovered the principles of genetic inheritance through pea plant experiments.
• Theodosius Dobzhansky combined genetics with evolution in the Modern Synthesis.
• Watson and Crick discovered DNA's structure, proving genetic evolution.

Scientific evidence for evolution

• Fossils provide physical proof of ancient species.
• Comparative anatomy shows similar body parts across species.
• Genetic and DNA comparison show relationships.
• Early development stages look alike in Embryology.
• Bacteria developing antibiotic resistance demonstrates observable evolution in real time.
• Divergent evolution occurs when a single species branches off into more than one.
• Convergent evolution occurs when separate species evolve similar traits due to similar environments.
• Coevolution occurs between species which influence each other.
• Parallel evolution occurs between different species which have similar ancestors but maintain similar traits due to similar environments.
• Evolutionary Biology & Medicine helps in understanding diseases, virus mutations, and antibiotic resistance.
• Evolutionary Genetics & Agriculture is used in genetic modification (GMOs) and selective breeding. Evolutionary Anthropology & Human Evolution provides insight into human ancestry.
• Environmental Science explains species adaptation to climate change and habitat loss.

Western vs. Eastern Views of the Human Being

• Confucianism is a code of ethical content; focused on having a harmonious social life

Taoism

• Living in the way of the Tao or universe
• Balanced life with society and nature

Buddhism

• Siddhartha Gautama known as "Buddha" is the founder of buddhism
• Eastern philosophy of Collectivism is the chinese philosophy
• Western philosophy of individualism is from roman and greek philosophies.
• Western views of the human being refers to the cultural, philosophical, and societal understanding of human nature originating in Western Europe
• Five different western views of the human being:rational humanism, existentialism, libralism, christian humanism and postmodernism