A different aproach to the social sciences

Abstract

The scientific approach to the social phenomena dates back to the last century. Ever since the epistemology of social sciences has changed a great deal in regard to either the object or the theory of knowledge adopted. Weber, Simmel and Pareto have greatly contributed for such a turning point. So, the author analyses the new emergent problematics by focusing on: 1) the model of causality following from natural science, increasingly unfitted to the understanding of what he calls affinity, that is, conformity  relations without any specific causality; 2) the relation between the comprehensibleand the uncomprehensible, between science and metaphysics, which is not at all defined yet - there is metaphysics in the core of every science, as well as some part of the explanation is unexplainable and part of what is known is unknown; 3) the preconceptions and ideological apriorities, generally of ethical nature, which do not concern the scientific experiment and vitiate the empirical analysis. There is some reason for such a recent, easy spreading of sociology over ideology to the detriment of the scientific research. After all, the author concludes that, unless the conditions and the limits of the problems raised are considered, no analysis will be valid. A notion by itself can not explain everything. In either a general or a particular situation, the sociological concept only is valid when we connect its causality with other concepts originated under similar circumstances. Sociology will be uselless if beforehand we assume that economy can provide some kind of determining explanation. No research work will be required if the answer is known beforehand. The method of social sciences is devoid of any orthodoxy. So, the research must not only be open, but it also must provoke some issues enabling greater intelligibleness of the social relationships.