The course will emphasize an historical
approach to the philosophy of the social
sciences. After a synoptic review of
philosophy’s roles in its history,
the course will examine philosophy’s
relations to the sciences in general
and the social sciences in particular.
A key question of the course will be
whether the social sciences’ reliance
on statistical methods is primarily
due to the freedom of human nature
or the sheer complexity of the human
organism. Following these introductory
explorations the course will consider
the historical origins of the social
sciences in the works of key philosophers
such as William James, Karl Marx, Adam
Smith, and Auguste Comte. The course’s
primary assumption is that philosophy
and science are continuous rather than
distinct methods. The assumption will
be explored through an examination
of history as an academic discipline.
Is history a foundation for science,
a social science in its own right,
or an attempt at creating a “super-science,” a
discipline that fuses all the sciences
in an attempt to guide us into the
future? Can an examination of the distinctions
between history and natural history
show that the conventional distinction
between the natural and social sciences
is artificial? The conclusion of the
course will examine the historical
uses of the social sciences in the
service of racism, and W.E.B. Du Bois’ life-long
efforts to combat those uses.
