Epistemology in Social Science

Introduction

Epistemology is a field of study which investigates the nature and scope of knowledge. Social science consists of various subjects which study knowledge formation, their authenticity and reliability for further research.

Knowledge guides our life and epistemology helps us in understanding how this knowledge can be found and believed. The primary purpose in this article is to understand and analyse the methods of acquiring knowledge in social science. Epistemology refers to the broad approach that considers human knowledge as collectively achieved. It helps in the evaluation of the knowledge from the dimensions of society. As a field of analytical philosophy, it deals with knowledge in a social context. The most common topics discussed in contemporary social epistemology are “testimony”, “peer disagreement” and “group epistemology”. One of the difficulties while defining Social Epistemology is defining the meaning of knowledge in the existing context. Social Epistemology is also linked to other disciplines such as humanities, social sciences, philosophy, and sociology.

What is Epistemology?

Epistemology is a philosophical study of human knowledge. It explains the characteristics, roots and scope of knowledge. The term ‘Epistemology’ is derived from the Greek term “epistēmē”, which denotes ‘knowledge’ and ‘logos’ which denotes ‘reason/study’. James Fredrick Ferrier who is a Scottish Philosopher coined the term ‘epistemology’ This field is also known as the theory of knowledge.

Knowledge can be obtained from various domains like religion, culture, politics, ethics, maths, science, logic among others. But when we are discussing epistemology in the field of social science we study the scope of epistemology through logic, metaphysics, sociology and psychology.

Importance of Epistemology

Since epistemology is the study of knowledge it challenges the very thinking process of human beings. It develops new ways of thinking and questions the traditional or old ways. Knowledge is required for survival and also to understand the world better. Through knowledge we can express ourselves, know ourselves and ultimately achieve our goals and ambitions.

Through epistemology we try to find the truth so that we do not become the victim of ‘falsehood’. It provides us with certain principles that guide us to make a difference between truth and false.

Social Science

It is the field of study that understands the behaviour of individuals and groups. It covers a vast area which also includes anthropology, economics, geography, history, political science, philosophy, social study and sociology. Sometimes it has also been agreed that history and social science work are not indistinguishable. However, many historians claim history is a separate field of study.

Strictly speaking, Social Science is considered a field of study in the 20th century only. However, it has its origin in the ancient ‘Greeks' time when rationalists inquired into human nature, state and mortality. Greek and Rome have the most powerful heritage in the field of social thought as compared to other western societies. Important thinkers whose contributions from the base of social science are Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau, Gramsci, Kant, Hegel, Habermas to name a few.

Methods in Social Science

According to researchers, scientific social research has two components, social and scientific components. The social components represent the study of people, and how they act, feel, and interact with others. The scientific components relate to empirical research and observation. On the basis of the research question asked in the research, their components are used in social research.

According to Neuman, there are mainly three different types of approaches/ methods used by social researchers and these are as follows −

Positivism Approach

In this approach researchers use deductive logic with observations in order to discover and confirm the hypothesis and predict the pattern of human activities. It is mainly used in natural science research.

Interpretative Approach

This approach follows the recording of direct observation of people in the natural environment, in order to arrive at the conclusion of how people react and behave to maintain social structure.

Critical Approach

This methodology focuses on critical analysis of processes which go beyond the basic observation in order to uncover the structure that controls the relationship between people.

Conclusion

Epistemology in Social Science is a field which relates to the study of knowledge in the context of social science. It represents how knowledge is acquired by humans, justification and testimony of such knowledge. It helps explain different approaches which in turn help social scientists to understand and justify the basis of such knowledge. The study of social science relates to other disciplines as well such as Philosophy, Economics, Anthropology, Sociology, Political Science etc. Some of the important issues in epistemology are: whether knowledge of any kind is possible, whether knowledge is innate to humans, and whether knowledge is inherent in nature.

FAQs

Q1. What do you understand about the term ‘proposition’?

Ans. Any kind of statement that is declarative in nature and explains a fact or many facts is called a ‘proposition’. These kinds of statements can be true or false which gives a researcher the advantage of questioning or investigating a proposition.

Q2. What do you understand about ‘skepticism’?

Ans. ‘Skepticism’ means that a body of knowledge can be limited. It is a philosophy that talks about the limitation of knowledge may be due to unavailability of objective resources or may be due to the limitation of intellectual capacity. Absolute skeptics and relative skeptics are the two kinds of skepticism.

Q3. What do you understand about empiricism?

Ans. Sextus Empiricius is the person after whom the doctrine of empiricism is named. Empiricists believed that every knowledge of human beings has their roots in their experiences and especially which are obtained through senses. John Locke is known as the father of empiricism.