UCSP PDF - Introduction to Social Sciences

Understanding Culture, Society, and Politics (UCSP) Introduction to Social Sciences Objects of Study of Social Sciences What is Reality? Social Science seeks to understand the evolving human systems...

Understanding Culture, Society, and Politics (UCSP) Introduction to Social Sciences Objects of Study of Social Sciences What is Reality? Social Science seeks to understand the evolving human systems across our increasingly complex world and how our planet can be Logic – doesn’t use experience to prove something is real; use of more sustainably managed. mind, rationality, and way of reasoning (mental model) Dysfunction Malfunction Something (that might) be real without the need of evidence (logic). Morality Something that can be proven as real without using science. God/s of any religion Dysfunctional behaviors – abnormal or unhealthy interpersonal Morality – we act because of our prior knowledge of right and behavior or interaction within a group, like crimes and wars wrong – morals ➔ caused by humans Beauty – subjective Malfunctional phenomena – events that cause abnormalities or failures in the operation or participation of members in the group, like Example: How can you prove that God is real by using logic unemployment and pollution, climate change and global warming. (without the use of experience)? ➔ events (1) Who caused the first movement? The Law of Inertia states that something will stay at rest until an outside force acts Moral Behaviors (Ethics) – set of standards or principles concerning upon it. There must be something that made the first the distinction between right and wrong or good and bad behavior. movement, the initial cause – a primordial entity – that could ➔ establishing morals and values be (but not necessarily mean) God. (2) “There cannot be existence from nothing.” If all of us is Branches of Social Sciences existent, then who created us (life)? We know a chair is made by a carpenter without experiencing or witnessing it firsthand, just by using logic. If that is so, there must be Anthropology – holistic (whole) study of humans, his physical and someone who created life and the universe. cultural developments throughout time. (what is human?) Economics – study of production, distribution, and consumption of It is false to accuse the non-science to be untrue. the limited resources or wealth. (how humans survive?) Reality. It is the world or the sum or aggregate existence. Geography – study of the relationships between people and their Perception or understanding of reality by either rational (reasoning / environment. logic) or empirical (experience) means is called knowledge or Science. (Latin scientia ‘knowledge’) History – study and interpretation of the chronological past events. Natural Reality – exists without the help of humans / not Political Science – study of the theory and practice of power man-made; e.g. mountains river relations among people. (how humans govern themselves, practice Natural Science is the branch of knowledge concerned with the power, and power relations) description, understanding and prediction of natural phenomena, based on empirical evidence from observation and Psychology – study of human behavior and mental process. experimentation (e.g., biology, physics, chemistry, and geology). (personal development) Uses empirical Sociology – study of society, and their individual relationship therein Cultural Reality – manmade (materials, culture) Social science is the branch of knowledge that studies people's Communication / Linguistics – study of language culture across time: as individuals, communities and societies; their behaviours and interactions with each other and with their Demography – statistical study of human population built, technological and natural environments. Uses both rational and empirical Is social science a science? Social Science is a science because it is a form of knowledge. Any knowledge produced from studying culture is called science.  Human Traits How Do These Branches Interrelate to Each Other? ➔ Wide range of body size ➔ Large eyes with 3D vision Geography influencing Economics and Anthropology ➔ Lack of snout, focused on seeing than smelling ➔ Livelihood varies based on surroundings. Fishing tends to be ➔ Large brain (encephalization) more common in coastal regions, and farming is more seen in ➔ Heterodont (varied teeth) valleys. ➔ Presence of nails than claws ➔ The biological makeup of people also varies. Colder regions ➔ Bipedal means of ambulation had more hairy people to keep themselves warm, and people in tropical regions had darker skin because they have more Personhood (What is a Person?) melanin to protect themselves from UV rays. Geography influencing Politics (oversimplified explanation) Person – rational aspect or being → morality ➔ In the Philippines. There is a reason why Muslims aren’t elected Persona – Greek for mask, adapting or adjusting personality into office as much as Christian people. The Philippines is an to different contexts and settings (public places) archipelago country, and Mindanao is far away from Luzon and Personal – ownerships or belongings (objects, hygiene, etc.) Visayas, especially to the capital region. Their presence isn't well Personality – attitudes, behaviors, mindset known to the rest of the country. They have to make themselves known to many Filipinos as much as possible if they’re running In one of the Theological Tractates, the Roman senator and at a national level. This is also the reason why each province / philosopher from the Middle Ages, Boetius (c. 480 – 524 AD) wrote: island has their own preferred politicians – because of their known presence and influence. (could involve political dynasties) A person (tao) is "the individual substance with a rational ◆ Imperial Manila – term coined for the idea that all affairs nature" of the country—politics, economy and culture—are decided by what goes on in Metro Manila without considering the Rationality is the quality of being guided by or based on reasons. A rest of the country because of centralized government and person is rational because he thinks before he acts, and thinks before urbanite snobbery. “Not a leaf can fall in our country he believes. without Malacañang's permission” ➔ In the United Kingdom. The monarchy (currently King Charles Four Levels of Being According to the Origination of Movement III) is now symbolic and holds little to no power. Historical According to Felipe M. de Leon context – King John of England issued a Magna Carta because MINERAL – Physical Cause/Force of a fear of revolution. This is because the British Isles is PLANT – Stimulus surrounded by water, and he had no means of escape if ever a ANIMAL – Motives, Drives, Instincts revolution had arisen. This is also the reason why the Navy is HUMAN – Rationality and Will much stronger than the Army of the country. Now, the parliament (House of Commons) holds the power of the country. Man’s Organization of Action He acts with rationality, that is to think before moving. Why is Philosophy and Arts not Social Science? He is acting based on will, that is the power to move act even when there is no physical compulsion, no survival need, no physical stimulus, and no motivating force at the present. Philosophy – the mother science because it involves questioning A person does not move merely to satisfy needs like security, everything in reality and thinking sensation and power, rather by love, wisdom and creativity. Art (as a discipline) falls under: Only a person can make a rational choice (will) in what way he ➔ Aesthetics (philosophy of art) if it is interpreting and would satisfy his needs, e.g., sexual needs: appreciating arts To do it or not ➔ Anthropology if it only involves mere description of arts and When to do it finding their connection to human lives Where to do it How to do it The Human Person and His Society With whom to do it How often Humanity (What is a Human?) However, the power of rationality and consciousness is not Humanity is a general term that doesn’t specify whether you’re operative in most people. People who act not based on rationality talking about males, females, adults, or children; it simply means our and consciousness, rather on mere instincts are allowing their species — Homo sapiens sapiens — at large. The term humanity can animality to take over their being. be applied to modern humans (Homo sapiens sapiens) as well as ➔ 2020 Tarla shooting featuring police officer, Jonel Nuezca, some of our most recent ancestors, the Homo sapiens. fatally shot two of his neighbors, Sonia and Frank Gregorio ➔ Humans – mammals – part of the Animalia Kingdom “Madaling maging tao, ngunit mahirap magpakatao.” Person Is Unique He has a rational mind that allows him to have volition, values, social norms, and rituals. He has a conscious mind that allows him to be conscious of being conscious He has advanced culture – advanced tools, language, and social structures. Animal Tools Animals use variety of simple tools for acquiring food and water, grooming, defence, communication, recreation or construction. Tool is an instrument for making material changes on other objects or for acquiring a purpose. Animal Language Animal tools are simple and undeveloping. Animals do not innovate natural objects like twigs, leaves, stone tools, shells, and clams. Language is any means of communication. It can be verbal (spoken Animal tools only serve a particular purpose and are incapable or written), or nonverbal (gestures, signals or graphics). of altering large environments. Nonhuman language is symbolically simple. A sound or gesture can only mean one thing. Nonhuman language is phonemically and morphemically simple. It is formed of two or fewer sounds. Human Language Displacement – using of language to talk something outside of the present. Discreteness – using of language to create multiple meanings from altering discreet sounds (phonemes, intonation, stress) Productivity – using of single linguistic expression to mean Human Technologies many things. Cultural transmission – using of language to pass down beliefs and knowledge. Humans have developed technologies to make their lives easier and Arbitrariness – using of language with agreed meaning. allow them to engage in multiple activities efficiently at same time. Duality – using of language through phonemes (sound) and Technology is an instrument that is a product of creativity or morphemes (combination of sounds). innovation to reach practical goals. Reflexivity – using language to think and talk about language Human tools/technologies are developing, from tools (primitive itself. to antique), machines (simple machines to computers), to automation (robotics and artificial intelligence). Human technologies is capable of transforming or altering the Defining Society natural environment to meet the needs of humans. This is process is called anthropization. Society is a group of single species interacting and cooperating with one another to achieve objectives collectively that they could not achieve as individuals. Not all groups are societies, like a group of moths around a light – they are aggregations. Not all interactions/relationships are called societies, like predation, commensalism, parasitism, competition, mutualism – they are called symbiosis. Animal Society Types of Social Relationships by Ferdinand Tönnies Animals have societies because: Gemeinschaft (community) – social relationship bound by Animals form relationships and cooperate to reproduce sexually common norms, often because of shared physical space and Animals form relationships and cooperate to rear their progenies shared beliefs. Animals form relationships and cooperate to gather food, and to Gesellschaft (society) – social relationship bound by common provide shelter and defence. self-interest like in associations, unions, and academia; or dependency like in corporations and states. Sociality in Society Our Human Society Sociality is the degree to which individuals in an animal population tend to associate in social groups and form cooperative societies. An important feature of modern social science is that it views man Social Animals – animals that have high degree of sociality like as an animal species, different from other animals in important humans, and hymenoptera insects. ways to be sure, but not separated from them in the categorical Solitary Animals – animals that have low sociality. They do not fashion that is implied in theology. live with others in its species, and interaction is limited to copulation. Human society in general is a complex network or ensemble of different modes of organization. The central task of the social sciences is to investigate how these various modes of social Degrees of Society organization work and to identify the problems that result from the fact that they do not work perfectly. Presociality – sociality is limited to reproduction, child rearing, and cohabitation, but lacks cooperation outside the family. Lipunan ○ Penguins Eusociality – complex sociality that include overlapping adult generations, cooperative care of young, and division of Lipunan (pangngalan) reproductive labor. Root: Lipon ○ Ants Cognate: Lupon, Tipon Meaning: Group / Gathering Types of Sociality (Complexity) Pangkat ng mga tao at institusyong may sinasabuhay na kalipunan ng mga gawi, paniniwala, kakayahan, adhikain at wika. Gregariousness – closeness to those who are similar to the species in certain respects, but they prefer to be distant from those who are different. Hierarchy – forming a system in which members are put at various levels or ranks according to their importance: abilities, ferocity, or possessions. Biological Differentiation – forming a system in which members are divided in labor or importance according to their sexes, races and other biological attributes. Functional Specialization – forming a system in which members are divided in labor by their special talents and skills, allowing to provide more things aside from needs. Altruism – behavior and moral practice of concern for the welfare and/or happiness of other beings in or outside of its own species. Types of Sociality (Scope) Monosocial – species whose sociality is limited only to own group in a definite spatial location. ○ bees Multisocial – species whose sociality is extended to other or multiple groups in multiple locations. ○ humans