Three Groups of Sciences
- natural sciences
• physics, chemistry, biology, astronomy,…
- humanities
• history, history of art, linguistics, literary studies, philosophy, religious studies,…
- social sciences
• sociology, political science, economics, psychology, anthropology,…
Natural Sciences
- ancient intellectual endeavours
• astronomy arose in Babylonia, 1200 BCE
• modern natural sciences developed partly from Chinese, Indian, and Islamic
sources in the Middle Ages and Renaissance
- “Scienti c Revolution”
• Europe, 1550-1700
- physical universe is uniform and simple
- natural sciences focus on universals and regularities
• e.g. phenomenon of free fall
• less interest in concrete historical particulars, such as the fall of this stone
- standard techniques of theorising:
• mathematisation, abstraction, idealisation
• yield knowledge in concise, powerful forms
- example - laws of nature
• mathematical equations among physical quantities
• Isaac Newton’s law of gravitation, 1687: F = Gm1m2/r2
1
fi
, - laws as paradigms of knowledge
• taken to represent the highest grade of scienti c knowledge
• even by many outside the natural sciences
Humanities
- in ancient and medieval education, the liberal arts were “ways of doing”
• grammar, rhetoric, logic
- gradually, they developed into subjects of study
• Renaissance humanism, 15th century
- present-day humanities disciplines:
• history, history of art, studies of language and literature, philosophy, religious
studies,…
- world studied by the humanities
• focuses on historical human actors
- historical actors are creative
• they originate acts, texts, artworks
• creation follows no rules - unpredictable and inexplicable (e.g. cubist art)
- important methodological consequences…
- historical particularity
• every event and context is unique
• we identify periods (e.g., the Renaissance), but then zoom in past these
categories
- mistrust of generalisation and idealisation
• highest form of knowledge is intimate knowledge of particulars
• little or no use for scienti c laws
- main output - interpretations
• of acts, texts, artworks
• often embedded in theoretical frameworks
2
fi fi
The benefits of buying summaries with Stuvia:
Guaranteed quality through customer reviews
Stuvia customers have reviewed more than 700,000 summaries. This how you know that you are buying the best documents.
Quick and easy check-out
You can quickly pay through credit card or Stuvia-credit for the summaries. There is no membership needed.
Focus on what matters
Your fellow students write the study notes themselves, which is why the documents are always reliable and up-to-date. This ensures you quickly get to the core!
Frequently asked questions
What do I get when I buy this document?
You get a PDF, available immediately after your purchase. The purchased document is accessible anytime, anywhere and indefinitely through your profile.
Satisfaction guarantee: how does it work?
Our satisfaction guarantee ensures that you always find a study document that suits you well. You fill out a form, and our customer service team takes care of the rest.
Who am I buying these notes from?
Stuvia is a marketplace, so you are not buying this document from us, but from seller Talya1245. Stuvia facilitates payment to the seller.
Will I be stuck with a subscription?
No, you only buy these notes for $6.97. You're not tied to anything after your purchase.