Humanities Vs Social Sciences

Humanities vs Social Sciences
Humanities and social sciences deal with human aspects like politics, law,
linguistics, economics, and psychology. One of the major differences between
the two is that humanities involve a more critical and analytical approach
whereas social sciences deal with more of a scientific approach.
Humanities are a branch of science that deals with the heritage and the
question of what makes us human. Humanities deal with law, history, ancient
languages, modern languages, philosophy, history, religion, and
visual/performing arts. Humanities are considered to be more philosophical
than social sciences.
As there is a scientific approach to social sciences, it is considered to be a

branch of study in between humanities and natural sciences. Anthropology,
criminology, administration, archaeology, education, economics, psychology,
linguistics, political science, law, and history come under the purview of social
sciences.
The study of humanities can be traced back to ancient Greece. It was during
the Roman times that the concept of seven liberal arts developed like; rhetoric
and logic, grammar, music, astronomy, arithmetics, astronomy, and geometry.
There was a great shift, however, to the study of humanities in the 15th
century. It was after the 15th century that humanities was regarded as a
subject to be studied rather than practiced.
When talking about social sciences, Karl Marx, Emile Durkheim, and Max
Weber are credited with giving it a modern definition. Social sciences was
influenced by the French revolution and the industrial revolution. Social
science was developed from prescriptive practices that were related to a
group’s social improvement, or through applied and experimental sciences, or
through the methodical knowledge of bases.
Summary:
1.One of the major differences between the two is that humanities involve a
more critical and analytical approach whereas social science deals with a more
scientific approach.
2.Humanities are a branch of science that deal with the heritage and the
question of what makes us human.
3.As there is a scientific approach to social sciences, it is considered to be a
branch of study in between humanities and natural sciences.
4.Humanities are considered to be more philosophical than social sciences.
5.The study of humanities can be traced back to ancient Greece. It was during
the Roman times that the concept of seven liberal arts developed like; rhetoric
and logic, grammar, music, astronomy, arithmetics, astronomy, and geometry.
There was a great shift, however, to the study of humanities in the 15th
century.
6.Karl Marx, Emile Durkheim, and Max Weber are credited with giving a
modern definition to social sciences. This branch of study was influenced by
the French revolution and the industrial revolution.
Difference Between Social Science and

Humanities
Last updated on September 8, 2020 by Surbhi S
Social Science is a branch
of knowledge whose subject matter is society and the interrelationship between
individuals, as a member of society. Humanities is closely linked to social science,
in the sense that the two disciplines deal with human beings and their culture.
Humanities refer to the subject which tends to understand, acknowledge and
analyze the human behaviour in all its depth and scope.
Practically, as a human being, no field of study is more significant than social

science. It helps an individual to understand the society as a whole, i.e. the
conditions which limits our growth and development and the opportunities which
can be tapped for better livelihood. It helps in creating a society where human
beings can live freely and happily.
In this discussion, we will talk about the main differences between humanities and
social science.
Content: Humanities Vs Social Science

1. Comparison Chart
2. Definition
3. Key Differences
4. Conclusion
Comparison Chart
BASIS FOR
SOCIAL SCIENCE HUMANITIES
COMPARISON
Meaning Social Science refers to a realistic Humanities refer to the branch of

course of study that is concerned learning, which covers fields like
with the different aspects of the life arts, classics, philosophy, history,
of an individual within the group or anthropology, etc.
society.
Nature Objective Subjective
Approach Scientific Approach Analytical Approach
Concerned with Basic elements of the human culture Distinctive elements of human
culture.
Concept of truth Positivist Relativist
Focuses on Study of patterned behavior In-depth understanding of the

specific cases or events
Area of study Tradition, Culture and Heritage of Factual differences between

the society humanity and pure science
Definition of Social Science
Social Science, as the name signifies, is a science of society or say a science which
studies the socio-cultural aspects of the human affair. It is that branch of
knowledge which is concerned with the study of society, its interpersonal
relationship with individuals (members) and its functioning.
In other words, social science is all about people living along in groups, families
and communities, i.e. how they live, how they interact, how they behave, which
language they use for communication, what traditions they follow, what do they
wear, what is their religious affiliation, which ideology they promote, etc.
The study is based on the origin, organization and development of the human
society, in the context of the relationship between individuals in society.
Its objective is to understand all the facets of society, along with finding solutions
to the problems encountered by the society.
Social science is based on interpretation and qualitative research methods. It covers

subjects like sociology, social psychology, political science, economics,
geography, demography, history and anthropology.
Definition of Humanities
Humanities is a popular field of study, which is concerned with human society and
culture, which makes use of qualitative methods which are mainly analytical,
critical or speculative. The subject matter of humanities is thoughts, creations,
development and actions of humankind in the past and present.
It tends to determine the defects in the mankind, as well as the ways to improve
them. Basically, humanities attempt to make a man, more human. And for that, it
prescribes an ideal behaviour for an individual to be called as a cultured human
being.
Humanities explain an individual about his/her origin, genesis, neighbours,

forefathers and also about the self. It introduces us to the living being who we have
never seen, places that we have never been, stories we have never heard and ideas
which we never wondered.
It is a multifaceted domain which covers anthropology, archaeology, history,

linguistics and language, literature, philosophy, psychology, law and politics, Arts,
etc. Researches in humanities adds to the existing knowledge base about the world.
It shows the variance in culture and communities across the globe and across time.
Key Differences Between Humanities and Social Science

The difference between humanities and social science can be drawn clearly on the
following grounds:
1. Social Science is the systematic study of social, cultural, psychological,

political and economical factors which guides a person actions and
decisions. As against, Humanities implies the field of research belonging to
the human culture, primarily literature, anthropology, history, arts, music
and philosophy.
2. As the study of social science is based on reality, regardless of the time in
which the study is conducted, i.e. whether the study is of ancient time or
current situation. Therefore, social science is objective in nature.
Conversely, Humanities is subjective in the sense that it relies on
assumptions and philosophies.
3. While social science uses the scientific approach to solve the issues,
humanities use an analytical approach. And so the emphasis of the
humanities is more on the feelings and emotions rather than the system used.
4. Social Science is associated with basic elements of human culture, which
ascertains the general pattern of human behaviour. On the contrary,
Humanities focuses on the special elements of the human culture, especially
those that seek to express the spiritual and aesthetic values and to determine
the meaning of life.
5. In social science, the concept of truth is independent of the context, whereas,
in humanities, the concept of truth is dependent on the context.
6. While social science focuses on the study of patterned behaviour, humanities
lay emphasis on an in-depth understanding of the specific cases or events.
7. The study of tradition, culture, and heritage forms part of social science.
However, humanities attempt to find out the factual differences between
humanity and pure science.
Conclusion
To understand the present day scenario of the world, one must have a good
understanding of social science. Whether you talk about law, or international
relations, or economics, all are simply branches of social science. On the other
hand, humanities help individuals to understand the human experience better.

Humanities Vs Social Sciences

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Humanities vs Social Sciences

As there is a scientific approach to social sciences, it is considered to be a

Difference Between Social Science and

Practically, as a human being, no field of study is more significant than social

Content: Humanities Vs Social Science

Meaning Social Science refers to a realistic Humanities refer to the branch of

Nature Objective Subjective

Approach Scientific Approach Analytical Approach

Concept of truth Positivist Relativist

Focuses on Study of patterned behavior In-depth understanding of the

Area of study Tradition, Culture and Heritage of Factual differences between

Definition of Social Science

Social science is based on interpretation and qualitative research methods. It covers

Humanities explain an individual about his/her origin, genesis, neighbours,

It is a multifaceted domain which covers anthropology, archaeology, history,

Key Differences Between Humanities and Social Science

1. Social Science is the systematic study of social, cultural, psychological,

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