Stephen talks about the concept of science, how it has changed over the centuries, and its link to theology.

Challenge of the Social Sciences - Audio

The scientific idea

This course focuses on two interlinked issues: the philosophical questions that arise in social science research, and research methods. Social inquiry attempts to take a scientific approach to explaining the complexity of everyday experiences, but in practice there are many pitfalls. The course reviews common issues that arise, including language, culture, survey methods and the problems of distinguishing between facts and values, understanding and explanation, theory and observation, and induction and deduction. The central tenet is that philosophical thinking and practical research go hand in hand. This material is taken from The Open University Course D820 The Challenge of the Social Sciences.

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Challenge of the Social Sciences - Audio