The sciences of mankind

Description

FOREWORD This volume demonstrates that human relations can be studied scientifically. Trying to understand human beings and human relationships is something all of us are concerned with in our daily lives, but the social scientist by definition is committed to going about this task in a scientific fashion. His job is to observe, to analyze, and to try to understand how and why individuals behave and interact with others as they do. There is, of course, ample room for debate concerning the adequacy of both the materials and the methods available to the social scientist for the task. The very nature of scientific work evokes dissatisfaction with the existing state of knowledge in any field and drives the investigator onward to improved ways of thinking about his problem and surer methods of research. Those most deeply involved in the social sciences are most acutely aware of the vast amount yet to be learned and the enormous complexity of the process. The tremendous need for a clearer understanding of social complexities, while placing a heavy burden on the limits of our existing knowledge, serves to stimulate further research. Social scientists not infrequently find themselves called upon to express views that involve speculation as well as substantiated fact. Those with special competence in any field are often expected to give advice that may go beyond the bounds of their knowledge. It is thought, however, that their informed judgment is preferable to the curbstone opinion of the man in the street. Legislators, judges, social workers, business executives, and other men of affairs, whether or not they are fully aware of the contributions of the social sciences, apply the findings of such research frequently and even routinely. Some people today have quite unrealistic hopes of what the social sciences can achieve; others are pessimistic about the possibilities of significant accomplishment; still others are fearful of the consequences if the knowledge of how to influence behavior should lead to too much manipulation of human beings. Such unrealistic hopes and unnecessary fears are better for stirring up debate than for fruitfully adding to knowledge of human problems and should not distract attention from the useful day-to-day work being done in the social Work is one road back to mental health. This book introduces in graphic terms the ways of thinking and the methods used by social scientists in many different fields and serves to demonstrate the various kinds of knowledge about man and society that the social sciences provide. Economics, for example, deals with business trends, with estimates of national income, with indices, such as freight-car loadings or other matters that can be expressed statistically. The experimental psychologist in his laboratory concerns himself with examining and testing individuals, while the sociologist and anthropologist may be most commonly concerned with studying the individual in group situations, and the political scientists, with political parties and governmental institutions. Whatever the unit of study, the basic objective is to collect evidence, test hypotheses, and attempt to verify propositions. The chapters offer the reader a series of close-up views of work that is representative of activities in various social science disciplines. When the research worker actually comes to grips with his subject matter, as this book so well indicates, he is dealing with the concrete and the observable; with what he can see or test or measure.

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