scholarly journals Algorithmic model of social processes

2021 ◽  
pp. 46-62
Author(s):  
V. I. Shalack
Keyword(s):  
Social Sciences ◽  
Necessary Condition ◽  
Human Society ◽  
Social Phenomena ◽  
Existing Problems ◽  
The Social ◽  
Collective Experience ◽  
Promising Solution ◽  
Algorithmic Model ◽  
Social Algorithms

The development of the social sciences needs to rely on precise methods. The nomological model of explanation adopted in the natural sciences is ill-suited for the social sciences. An algorithmic model of society can be a promising solution to existing problems. In its most general form, an algorithm is a generally understood prescription for what actions to perform and in what order to achieve the desired result. Any algorithm can be represented as a set of rules of the form «If A, do D to get P». People are the bearers of this kind of rules that apply in different areas of their activities. The rules are subject to change based on personal and collective experience. There is a special mathematical discipline that studies the laws of evolution of such rules. This discipline is called genetic (evolutionary) programming. Contrary to the threatening name, the algorithmic model does not imply the deprivation of a person’s right to free choice, but it needs this right as a necessary condition for the evolution of social algorithms. These algorithms allow us to give a non-causal, but law-like explanation of many well-known social phenomena, as well as to effectively model the future, which is critically important today. A retrospective look at the evolution of social algorithms shows that the current global crisis of human society is associated with the approach to the point of singularity in their evolution. This is due to the fact that there is no need for direct human participation in the implementation of social algorithms, which is reflected in a fundamental change in the sphere of employment and less need for further development of the sciences.

“We Speak the Truth!”

2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 53-80
Author(s):  
Sari Hanafi
Keyword(s):  
Social Sciences ◽  
Content Analysis ◽  
Social Science ◽  
The Political ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Social Phenomena ◽  
The Social ◽  
Academic Qualifications

This study investigates the preachers and their Friday sermons in Lebanon, raising the following questions: What are the profiles of preachers in Lebanon and their academic qualifications? What are the topics evoked in their sermons? In instances where they diagnosis and analyze the political and the social, what kind of arguments are used to persuade their audiences? What kind of contact do they have with the social sciences? It draws on forty-two semi-structured interviews with preachers and content analysis of 210 preachers’ Friday sermons, all conducted between 2012 and 2015 among Sunni and Shia mosques. Drawing from Max Weber’s typology, the analysis of Friday sermons shows that most of the preachers represent both the saint and the traditional, but rarely the scholar. While they are dealing extensively with political and social phenomena, rarely do they have knowledge of social science

scholarly journals Social Sciences, Complexity and Sociology of the Present in Edgar Morin

2019 ◽  
pp. 41-52
Author(s):  
Alex Galeno ◽  
Fagner Torres de França
Keyword(s):  
Social Sciences ◽  
Empirical Research ◽  
Social Phenomena ◽  
Open Method ◽  
Complex Thinking ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Matrix ◽  
Narrative Ability ◽  
Epistemological Basis

The article intends to revisit the contribution of the french thinker Edgar Morin (1921-) to the construction of a plural and open method of research in Social Sciences. We will have as theoretical-epistemological basis the sociology of the present, an approach of social phenomena developed by the author during three decades, from the 1940s to the 1970s, constituting the matrix of complex thinking. The present work defends the idea that the central categories of the present sociology, such as phenomenon, crisis and event, as well as the so-called living method of empirical research are still fundamental today in the sense of proposing an opening of the social sciences to phenomena increasingly more complex and multidimensional. This presupposes the researcher's subjective and objective engagement, narrative ability, and sensitivity to grasp revealing detail.

Determinism, Predictions, and Probabilism

2021 ◽  
pp. 85-88
Author(s):  
Francois Dépelteau
Keyword(s):  
Social Sciences ◽  
Natural Phenomena ◽  
Social Scientists ◽  
Social Phenomena ◽  
Biological Determinism ◽  
The Social ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Social Cause ◽  
Social Causes ◽  
The Universe

This chapter addresses determinism, which has been the predominant mode of perceiving the universe in modern sciences. The basic assumption is that any event is the effect of an external cause. Generally speaking, biological determinism focuses on the biological causes of events, whereas social sciences focus on the social causes. This mode of perceiving the social universe is typically associated with positivism and, more specifically, social naturalism — or the idea that there is no significant difference between social phenomena and natural phenomena. In this logic, it is assumed that social scientists can and should discover ‘social laws’ — or universal relations of causality between a social cause and a social effect. However, determinism in the social sciences has been criticized since its very beginning. In response to these critiques, many social scientists have adopted various forms of ‘soft’ determinism. The chapter then considers social predictions and probabilism.

Ontology

2021 ◽  
pp. 194-199
Author(s):  
Eric Fabri
Keyword(s):  
Social Sciences ◽  
Scientific Realism ◽  
Social Groups ◽  
Social Ontology ◽  
Human Mind ◽  
Social Phenomena ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Subject ◽  
Modes Of Existence ◽  
Objective Existence

This chapter addresses ontology, which is the branch of philosophy concerned with the nature of being. As a branch of metaphysics, ontology is mainly concerned with the modes of existence of different entities (tangible and intangible). Every subdiscipline in the social sciences relies on an ontology that defines which elements really matter when it comes to explaining the phenomenon they set out to elucidate. A specific branch of ontology is devoted to the modes of existence of social phenomena: social ontology. Two main positions emerge: realism and constructivism. Scientific realism assumes that social phenomena have an objective existence, independent of the subject. By contrast, constructivism claims that social phenomena have no objective existence and are a construction of the human mind. Its fundamental axiom is that, even if reality exists outside the subject’s perception, the subject cannot reach it without perceiving it. This implies the mediation of imaginary structures, which are provided by social groups. It is important to note, however, that many other positions exist apart from realism and constructivism.

Interdisciplinarity: Its Meaning and Consequences

2010 ◽  
Author(s):  
Raymond C. Miller
Keyword(s):  
Social Sciences ◽  
Power Structure ◽  
Formal Concept ◽  
Approaches To Teaching ◽  
Scientific Enterprise ◽  
Social Phenomena ◽  
Interdisciplinary Approaches ◽  
The Social ◽  
Reflective Study ◽  
Proper Response

Interdisciplinarity is an analytically reflective study of the methodological, theoretical, and institutional implications of implementing interdisciplinary approaches to teaching and research. Interdisciplinary approaches in the social sciences began in the 1920s. At a minimum, they involve the application of insights and perspectives from more than one conventional discipline to the understanding of social phenomena. The formal concept of interdisciplinarity entered the literature in the early 1970s. The scholars responsible all shared the thought that the scientific enterprise had become less effective due to disciplinary fragmentation and that a countermovement for the unification of knowledge was the proper response. However, not all interdisciplinarians believe that the unification of existing knowledge is the answer. There are many ways of differentiating between types of interdisciplinary approaches. One classification distinguishes between multidisciplinary, crossdisciplinary, and transdisciplinary approaches. Multidisciplinary approaches involve the simple act of juxtaposing parts of several conventional disciplines in an effort to get a broader understanding of some common theme or problem. Crossdisciplinary approaches involve real interaction across the conventional disciplines, though the extent of communication; thus, combination, synthesis, or integration of concepts and/or methods vary considerably. Transdisciplinary approaches, meanwhile, involve articulated conceptual frameworks that seek to transcend the more limited world views of the specialized conventional disciplines. Even though many believe that interdisciplinary efforts can create innovative knowledge, the power structure of the disciplinary academy resists interdisciplinary inroads on its authority and resources.

Capitalist Social Reproduction

2018 ◽  
pp. 320-340
Author(s):  
Martha E. Gimenez
Keyword(s):  
Social Sciences ◽  
Social Reproduction ◽  
First Century ◽  
Specific Context ◽  
Social Scientists ◽  
Social Phenomena ◽  
Working Classes ◽  
The Social ◽  
Twenty First Century ◽  
Abstract Feature

This entry will look at Marx’s theoretical contributions to social reproduction in relationship to critical assessments of his alleged “neglect” of reproduction and to the development of the social sciences, particularly the “radical” social sciences that emerged in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and continued to develop ever since. Marx, as well as Engels, offered important insights for understanding social reproduction as an abstract feature of human societies that, however, can only be fully understood in its historically specific context (i.e., in the context of the interface between modes of production and social formations). Social reproduction in the twenty-first century is capitalist social reproduction, inherently contradictory, as successful struggles for the reproduction of the working classes, for example, do not necessarily challenge capitalism. Finally, this article argues that radical social scientists, because they identify the capitalist foundations of the social phenomena they study, have made important contributions to the study of capitalist reproduction.

ANALYZING THE AGENT-BASED MODEL AND ITS IMPLICATIONS

2003 ◽  
Vol 06 (03) ◽  
pp. 331-347 ◽  
Author(s):  
YUTAKA I. LEON SUEMATSU ◽  
KEIKI TAKADAMA ◽  
NORBERTO E. NAWA ◽  
KATSUNORI SHIMOHARA ◽  
OSAMU KATAI
Keyword(s):  
Social Sciences ◽  
Internal Structure ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Social Systems ◽  
Agent Based Model ◽  
Social Phenomena ◽  
Agent Based ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Individual

Agent-based models (ABMs) have been attracting the attention of researchers in the social sciences, becoming a prominent paradigm in the study of complex social systems. Although a great number of models have been proposed for studying a variety of social phenomena, no general agent design methodology is available. Moreover, it is difficult to validate the accuracy of these models. For this reason, we believe that some guidelines for ABMs design must be devised; therefore, this paper is a first attempt to analyze the levels of ABMs, identify and classify several aspects that should be considered when designing ABMs. Through our analysis, the following implications have been found: (1) there are two levels in designing ABMs: the individual level, related to the design of the agents' internal structure, and the collective level, which concerns the design of the agent society or macro-dynamics of the model; and (2) the mechanisms of these levels strongly affect the outcomes of the models.

Epidemiology and the Scientific Method

1982 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 659-666 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alan F. Chalmers
Keyword(s):  
Social Sciences ◽  
Community Health ◽  
Scientific Method ◽  
Deep Understanding ◽  
Radical Change ◽  
Social Phenomena ◽  
The Social ◽  
Modern Physics ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Made In

This article refutes the claim that the field of epidemiology and community health would benefit from the application of the scientific method. It is argued that the methods of physics are not appropriate for other disciplines. When applied to the social sciences, positivism is a conservatizing force, causing theory to become based on a mere description of social phenomenon. Since it cannot lead to a deep understanding of social phenomena, positivism is incapable of revealing ways in which society could be radically changed. Moreover, such theory is far from neutral. Rather, it is formed and influenced by the forms of life experienced and practiced in the society. This is illustrated by an analysis of the origin of modern physics at the time when society was changing from a feudal to capitalist form of organization. It is concluded that advances will be made in epidemiology and community health when this field breaks from its focus on the individual and incorporates class into its analysis. However, given the interconnection between social structure and social theory, resistance to such a radical change can be expected.

scholarly journals The Potential of Modeling Process for Social Sciences and Social Work

2021 ◽  
pp. 113-134
Author(s):  
Andrés Lorenzo-Aparicio ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Social Sciences ◽  
Social Workers ◽  
Social Processes ◽  
Social Phenomena ◽  
Agent Based ◽  
Useful Knowledge ◽  
Agent Based Modelling ◽  
Modeling Process ◽  
The Social ◽  
Human Ecosystems

Simplification and necessary reductionism in a model cannot lead to detailed descriptions of social phenomena with all their complexity, but we can obtain useful knowledge from their application both in specific and generic contexts. Human ecosystems, that perform as adaptative complex systems, have features which make it difficult to generate valid models. Amongst them, the emergency phenomena, that presents new characteristics that cannot be explained by the components of the system itself. But without this knowledge derived from modelling, we, as social workers, cannot suggest answers that ignore the structural causes of social problems. Faced with this challenge we propose Agent Based Modelling, as it allows us to study the social processes of human ecosystems and in turn demonstrates new challenges of knowledge and competences that social workers might have.

scholarly journals The university as a community, or the university in a community? From the development of social sciences towards the university’s third mission

Sociologija ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 63 (3) ◽  
pp. 534-553
Author(s):  
Biljana Lungulov ◽  
Aleksej Kisjuhas
Keyword(s):  
Social Sciences ◽  
Social History ◽  
Social Role ◽  
Social Dimension ◽  
Human Society ◽  
Third Mission ◽  
Social Community ◽  
The Social ◽  
The University

This paper begins with a sociohistorical analysis of the university as a specific community of interacting intellectuals, which enabled the creation of an epistemological and institutional core for the development of the social sciences. On the other hand, we critically consider and analyze the contemporary university reforms in Europe, in terms of bringing universities and the social community closer together through the social dimension, as well as the dimensions of entrepreneurship and innovation. This paper aims to investigate the role of the university from its inception as a specific and unique intellectual community, towards its current aspirations to connect and integrate with the wider community. Two research tasks have been defined: the first refers to determining the importance of the interaction among intellectuals within the university for the production of scientific knowledge, while the second task involves analyzing the importance of interaction between the university and the social community through the university?s third mission. The research results indicate that the institutional and interactionist framework for the establishment of the university as an institution that communicates with the wider community was gradually formed through its various roles and reforms in the course of social history. However, we also conclude that the social role of the university has always been relatively complementary to the current third mission requirements, and with the historical development of knowledge concerning human society.

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