What is the difference between the humanities and social sciences?
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Anonymous
| Both deal with human affairs and the human condition rather than the natural world - what is the difference between the humanities and the social sciences? |
Anonymous
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"The humanities typically are considered more critical and analytical, dealing with the philosophical question of what makes us human. The social sciences, on the other hand, use a more scientific approach, essentially applying similar methodology as the natural sciences to the study of humans in society."
https://www.gale.com/humanities-and-social-sciences#:~:text=The%20humanities%20typically%20are%20considered,study%20of%20humans%20in%20society. |
Anonymous
| Where does history fit? |
Anonymous
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Humanities include things like English and the arts.
Social science includes sociology, economics, political science (measuring and explaining how people behave/organize:includes religions, criminology). But that is at the group level. Behavioral science focuses more on the individual level (like psychology), |
Anonymous
Humanities |
Anonymous
Social. |
Anonymous
I think there's some variation on this, depending on the emphasis on quantitative methods in programs. Traditionally a humanity, but there is some wiggle room. |
Anonymous
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Social Sciences include the History subjects
European History American history Government Economics The rest of humanities include languages literature arts both theoretical and practical |
Anonymous
Sure enough, looking at UMD gen ed requirements, prefix "HIST" has courses meeting "History/Social Sciences" and "Humanities". |
Anonymous
Per Merriam-Webster: Humanities: the branches of learning (such as philosophy, arts, or languages) that investigate human constructs and concerns as opposed to natural processes (as in physics or chemistry) and social relations (as in anthropology or economics) Social Science: a branch of science that deals with the institutions and functioning of human society and with the interpersonal relationships of individuals as members of society |
Anonymous
Humanities. |
Anonymous
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The lines can be fuzzy as disciplines are quite diverse.
Philosophy is split between analytic and continental philosophy. Analytic philosophy put resembles mathematics. Almost all philosophy departments are analytic in orientation. Continental philosophy often gets more of a hearing in English and sociology departments than in philosophy departments. Political science has the theorists who are humanists, comparativists/area specialists who are a lot like historians in their approach, and the Americanists who follow an approach similar to economics in formal modeling. Psychology straddles the line between social sciences and natural sciences. Linguistics is truly interdisciplinary and straddles humanities, social sciences and natural sciences. |
Anonymous
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I think the lines can be fuzzy
i have two "social science" degrees, anthropology and psychology. psychology definite does use scientific methodology in it's research do it feels fitting, but there is also "case study" type research. anthropology uses ethnography, which isn't necessarily scientific, so I could see it being considered a humanities? but I consider it a social science. But, so much of biology is also observational, and that one is definitely a science. who knows |
Anonymous
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There's a contentious in the social sciences over whether they're scientific (or should strive to emulate the natural sciences) or are fundamentally closer to the humanities:
https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/cross-check/is-social-science-an-oxymoron-will-that-ever-change/ |
Anonymous
| Is Law an applied social science? Or part of the humanities? |