Tuesday, November 12, 2013

Human /Social Sciences and the usage of systems

Prescribed Title: "Knowledge is nothing more than the systematic organization of facts"



In the social sciences, particularity anthropology, the practices of cultures from around the world are evaluated and assessed based on historic relics or practices that tell a story about their origins. From an objective standpoint, it can be said that the social sciences are based on the systematic organization of facts that point to a certain culture. If x is found in a part of y's culture, then this means z.

But it doesn't work like that; this formula does not entail the complete story and depiction of a culture.

When social scientists evaluate and try to make sense of foreign cultures, an understanding of the culture's way of life must be taken into account. With this in mind, a social scientist's interpretation of the practices of a social group must be taken into consideration. If the social sciences were solely based on the systematic organization of facts, there would be no social science, as this domain relies heavily on how humans interact among social groups.

Take this into consideration, let's say that in a certain culture, when an economic difficulty is being faced in the community, all the eldest single daughters are sold to increase household revenue, therefore increasing the society's wealth.

In the U.S, this would be a no-no, but in other parts of the globe, this is an acceptable practice. If everyone in the world had a universal understanding of human life, then in the aforementioned situation, everyone would respond by either selling or not selling a family member. However, as we know, this is not the case.
Humans are social beings and, depending on the environment one is raised in, respond based on what he or she has been taught in his or her society. Hence, in the field of social sciences, it is important to understand that although understanding the systematic organization of facts (such as cultural rules, ordinances, customs, and sanctions) helps understand the skeleton of a society, the meat of knowledge lies in the comprehension of why these practices exist. Since reasoning is subjective, this process is not as clear cut and, consequently, not systematically organized.


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