1. Human Sciences
“The only possible conclusion the social sciences can draw is: some do and some don’t.”
Ernest Rutherford

2. What are the Human Sciences?
Psychology
Economics
Anthropology
Sociology
Political Science
In short they are all based on observation and seek to discover laws and theories of human nature.

3. Problems with studying human behavior
Humans possess unique qualities that can be hard to study
Language
Reason
Free-will
Creativity

4. Problems with Experiments in the Human Sciences
Human Scientists try to make sense of complex real-world situations in which it is simply impossible to run in a controlled environment.
The artificiality of some experiments that can be conducted distort the behavior of the participants.
There are ethical reasons for not conducting experiments that have a negative effect on the people who participate in them.

5. Relationship between Natural Sciences and Human Sciences
Reductionism
Seeks to explain one subject in terms of other more fundamental ones.
Ex: one might be able understand economics in terms of psychology and psychology in terms of neuroscience.

6. Relationship between Natural Sciences and Human Sciences
Holism
The only way to make sense of things is to look at the whole problem.
Ex: you cannot understand a group in terms of the individual or an action independent of the context in which it takes place.

7. Verstehen Position
The main aim of the Human Sciences is to understand the meaning of various social practices from the inside as they are understood by the agents themselves.
You cannot simply observe the movements of people you must get inside the heads of people and understand how they see the situation.

8. Problems within the Human Sciences
Observation
We cannot directly observe the minds of people
Questionnaires may be misleading or bias
Observing people may affect the way they behave.
Measurement
4. Social phenomena are difficult to measure
Hypothesis
5. The act of prediction may affect the behavior predicted.
Experiments
6. Human sciences study complex social situations in which it is difficult to run in controlled experiments.
7. Various moral considerations limit our willingness to experiment.
Laws
8. Human Sciences are not very good at predicting things.
9. Human Sciences usually uncover trends rather than laws
10. Science laws are probabilistic in nature.

9. Linking Questions
Your linking question is posted on my wikispace. Please go to the discussion board to complete the assignment.