Birth & Growth of

Social Sciences

MR. DANILO F. MARIBAO

Paliparan III Senior High School
Dasmarinas City, Cavite
The Historical Background of the
Growth of Social Sciences

Greek Philosophers

Socrates
Aristotle
Plato
Before the birth of modern social
sciences in the West, the study
of society, culture, and politics
were based on social and
political philosophy.

In return, social and political

philosophies were informed by
theological reasoning grounded
in Revelation based on the Bible.
PHILOSOPHY THEOLOGY
DISTINCT

SCIENCE
Analytic understanding of
nature of truth

NATURE
What is the Nature of Truth How do we know what we know?
SCIENCE
S Based on empirical data, tested
theories, and carefully
contrived observations.

Seeks to discover the truth

about specific causes of events
and happenings in the natural
world.
 Development of Social Sciences

SCIENCE HUMANITIES
PURE SCIENCE VISUAL ARTS
APPLIED SCIENCE PERFORMING ARTS
SOCIAL SCIENCE RELIGION
LAW
LINGUISTICS
HISTORY
UNPRECEDENTED GROWTH OF SCIENCE
Scientific Nicolaus Copernicus refers to
historical changes in thought
Revolution
and belief, to changes in social
and institutional organization,
that unfolded in Europe.
ISAAC NEWTON

Proposed universal
laws of motion and
mechanical model of
the universe.
Laid the foundation that allowed science and
technology to change the world
Discover gravity
FRANCIS BACON

Established the
supremacy of
reason over
imagination.
French Philosopher, Rene Descartes
mathematician, and
writer who considered
the father of modern
philosophy
Advocated the use of
rigorous philosophical
analysis to arrive the
truth rather than
basing them on
dogmas.
Secularization Modern period marked
of Learning and the growing triumph of
Education scientific method over
religious dogma and
technological thinking.

The triumph of reason

and science over dogma
and religious authority
began with the
reformaton.
 MARTIN LUTHER

Organized the
protestant movement
and eroded the power of
the Roman Catholic
Church.
Challenged the infallibility of the Pope and
democratized the interpretation of the Bible.
 Immanuel
Kant Challenged the use of Metaphysics
or absolute truth derived mainly
from unjustified tradition and
authority such as the existence of
God.
Advocated the use of reason in
order to know the nature of the
world and human beings.
Wrote the famous Essay What is Enlightenment
that define enlightenment as the courage to know.
 Max Weber
One of the leading figures in
modern sociology.
Described this process as
RATIONALIZATION.
RATIONALIZATION means that social life is more
and more subjected to calculation and prediction.
Can only be achieved if human beings and society
rely on regularities established by modern science.
 LOUIS
PASTUER
Discoveries of Germ theory and
develop vaccination.
People relied more and more on
medical knowledge to deal with
diseases.
 FRANCOIS LYOTARD

French Sociologist points out

science triumphed because it
provided reliable results.
THE RISE OF
UNIVERSITIES
Education is the single most important factors
in the rise of social sciences.
The growth of universities also
contributed to the triumph of
sciences.
One of the founding fathers of
sociology.

Emile Durkhiem
The Dissolution of Feudal Social
Relation
The development forced many social scientists
during this time study the effects of the
dissolution of feudal relations on this social life
of the people.
German sociologist, lamented the
passing away of gemeinschaft or
community because of urbanization.
Trade and
Commerce
Marco Polo a Italian merchant from Venice
inspired Columbus five journeys to America.

Ferdinand Magellan circumnavigate

the world.
Harriet Martineau
Founding mother of
sociology
A British political economist and
sociologist, social scientist shifted
their attention to non-western world
as a model of the early stage of
Western Civilization.
 The Rise of
Individualism
The intensification od commerce and trade
gradually replaced barter with the induction of
money and banking.
German Sociologist in the early 20th
century, to decry the growing
depersonalization of life due to the
introduction of money.

George
Simmel
 Augusto Comte
French philosopher and mathematician, is
the founding father of sociology.
- He coined the term sociology but he
originally used social physics as a term
for sociology,
Stages of Development:

Theological stage
Metaphysics stage
Positive stage
 Karl Marx
Introduced the materialist analysis of
history which discounts religious and
metaphysical explanation for historical
development.
Franz Boas
Considered as the father of
modern American anthropology.

The first anthropologist to have

rejected the biological basis of
racism or racial discrimination.
 Bronislaw Malinowski
Another anthropologist who
contribution to the development of
modern anthropology.

Polish immigrant who did a

comprehensive study of Trobriand
Island.
Participation Observation a method of social
science research that requires the anthropologists
to have the ability to participate and blend with the
way of life of a given group of people.
 R. Radcliffe
Brownon the Andaman
He did fieldwork
Islands east of India, and published
his reports in the diffusionist style,
but later shifted his theoretical
orientation.