Science and the Scientific Nature of Research in the Social Sciences

E. B. J. Iheriohanma

Abstract


There have been a lot of arguments regarding the scientific nature of the social science disciplines. While some argue that the social sciences are not scientific in nature due to their areas of operations and the nature of their subject matter, others, particularly the social scientists themselves, argue that despite the claims of the ‘pure’ sciences, they still abstract from the characteristics of science, involve themselves in rigorous scientific experimentation and investigations and adhere to the principles of scientific laid down rules of research processes. This paper on the scientific nature of the social sciences explores these schools of thought and evaluates the processes of social research and investigation to survey how scientific they are and how they apply as scientific. This paper also explores the aims of science, the characteristics of science, the principles of social sciences, the common tools of research of the social sciences, the social science research design and the stages of social research. The essence of the reviews is to examine their scientific nature and to argue if they conform to the logic of scientific research.

Keywords


Science; Social sciences; Research; Positivism; Aims of science

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DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3968/j.sss.1923018420130402.2617

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