OS200 Final- History
The social sciences study the social life of human groups and individuals. This is important when questioning whether history is a social science or not. While history is the study of past events, particularly in human affairs. Historical studies help us to understand the past events of humans that have a tendency of repeating themselves in the future. By studying humans from the past we can learn about our future. History is a social science because of this. Yes the other social sciences study humans in the now, but history studies humans from the past. Bottom line they are all still studying the social lives of human groups or specific individuals. Historians have three basic questions that they have to ask themselves. The first is what
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This question helps historians to actually get in depth with what they are studying. It is more interesting to know why something happened than to just know that it did happen. The last question historians ask is how they can know what happened. They need to know that the quality and nature of the evidence that is available to them. They need to make sure that they are basing their conclusions on solid evidence, not on speculation. Historians pose hypotheses and collect data to test their conclusions like all other social sciences. Historians often use many of the methods found in the other social sciences like quantification and statistical analysis. They have been known to apply psychological and geographic theories to explain why certain societies develop in particular ways. Social Scientism assumes that "differences between the natural and social sciences are merely a matter of degree, not a matter of kind.” (Strada, 2009) The characteristics of social scientism include quantitative data, experimental research, and impersonal feelings. (Strada, 2009) Some social sciences are more “scientific” than others. So while history may not be as scientific as a discipline like psychology, it is