Applications of Natural Science to Social Science

Applications of Natural Science to Social Science What can social science learn from natural science? Like all social sciences, the field of international relations attempts to provide both theoretical and practical insights into human behavior through the application of scientific principles. The inherent difficulty in social sciences, however, is just that – the attempt to provide insight into human behavior, which is notoriously resistant to attempts at predicting it through the means of logic. The personal relationship between the social scientist and the subject matter s/he studies, vs. and the natural scientist and the matter being studied tends to differ by virtue of both ideology and subjectivity; the natural scientist is bound, ethically, to conform his or her beliefs to the evidence gleaned from scientific method. Often, however, the ethical boundaries in the social sciences are less clear and more subject to the personal biases of the person doing the studying; the beliefs or theories are often used to tailor the evidence. The studied objectivity expected of the nat ural scientist is well-suited to the abstract or the impersonal elements of study; objectivity becomes more difficult to sustain when the inherently subjective matters of human behavior come into play in such social sciences as international relations. Given the often national or global human consequences of the application of theories of international relations, is it possible to remain neutral? Natural scientists believe that their work is ethically neutral. To be sure, their work can be put to good and bad uses, but this presumably reflects on the users rather than on the content of the science itself. The relationship between social science and the values of the social scientist seems far more immediate and direct than this, and this alleged contrast has been the subject for continuing discussion and debate†¦ Our observations of the social world seem even more coloured by the theory we employ than is the case in the natural sciences. (Ruben, 1998) Within the field of international relations, the aforementioned debate manifests itself in the competition between positivist and post-positivist theories. Positivist theories operate under the conviction that the principles of study as applied in the natural sciences, i.e. scientific method, and the analysis of quantifiable, measurable, and repeatable evidence, are applicable, valid, and valuable in the field of international relations. Positivist theories hold that the behavior of nation-states and the individuals who influence the policies of nation-states can be observed, studied, predicted, and reliably understood through the application of those theories. Examples of positivist international relations theories include liberalism, realism, neo-liberalism, and neo-realism (which we shall discuss in a moment). Post-positivist theories, such as social constructivism or international society theories, reject the notion that social systems, such as those in international relations, c an be studied in an objective manner that is free of value judgments. Scientific method, to adherents of post-positivist theories, is of little use in the field of international relations and those of this school of thought believe that ethics and other normative value concepts must be always be an inherent component of international relations studies. What exactly are the tenets of the scientific method, and how can they be usefully applied to social sciences such as international relations? In brief, the scientific method relies on the developing and testing of hypotheses designed to explain phenomena, in this case human phenomena, the behavior of nation-states. The studies are designed to test the hypotheses in a variety of different situations, tested by controlled experiments, the variables of which are carefully controlled and monitored by experts trained and qualified in the field of study. The evidence gathered by the studies is freely shared with other scientists for use in their own work, and theories that fail to hold up under rigorous examination must be discarded, modified, and/or updated without regard to personal attachment or subjective opinions. What is most difficult about the application of scientific method to the social sciences is the difficulty in maintaining consistency and reliability within controlled experiment situations. The ideal location for controlled experiments is, of course, a laboratory where scientists can carefully control any and all variables which might affect the outcome of the study and hence undermine or support the theory or hypothesis being tested. Human behavior is rarely confined to laboratory settings, however, and what is true about human behavior in this regard is even more true when it comes to collective human behavior, i.e., the behavior of nation-states. Further compounding the difficulty in maintaining controlled experiment environments with respect to international relations is that on the macrocosmic level of the world stage, the variables affecting the behavior of nation-states are not only numerous but their causal relationships are not always clear, linear, or even logical to an ob server, even if trained. There is little room for sentimental attachment to theories that fail to predict or solve international relations problems such as war or genocide, and to the extent that difficulty in adherence to scientific method leaves room for the dangerous influence of personal subjectivity, creative ways to maximize rigid application of scientific theory to international relations is key to the usefulness of positivist theories. One of the fundamental scientific theories underpinning most positivist international relations theories is a concept known as rational choice theory. (Rational choice theory is not unique or native to international relations; indeed, it is widely used in other social sciences such as economics and sociology.) Rational choice theory holds, on a basic level, that human beings generally use reason and rational processes to achieve a desired end or ends that they may seek at any given point in time – instrumental reason, in other words. Individuals, whether they be literal single human beings, or nation-states, who operate within the paradigm of rational choice theory are known as rational actors. Noted political theorists Shapiro and Green (1994) offered their analysis of how rational choice theory manifests itself in the context of international relations by identifying four elemental characteristics: 1) Rational actors employ the concept of utility maximization, which means th at where there are a variety of options for a rational actor to achieve its goals, it will choose the option calculated to have the maximum potential to improve its welfare; 2) The rational actor possesses the ability to evaluate the possible consequences of selecting any one of its various options to improve its welfare and prioritize the appeal of said options; 3) rational choice theory is at its core a theory of individual behavior, and though international relations is largely the study of groups of individuals who comprise the rational actors which populate the world stage, rational choice theory assumes and depends on the pre-eminence of the individual; and 4) rational choice theory is universally applicable. Rational choice theory in international relations is also closely related to rational choice theory in economics, insofar as economics describes the competition for allocation of finite resources,and in international relations, the competition between rational actors for those resources as they seek to improve their welfare and achieve their various goals. The two chief positivist manifestations of rational choice theory in international relations, then, are liberalism and realism, the former holding that nation-states are inherently predisposed to cooperate because of the self-evident futility of war, and the latter holding the opposite, that cooperation between nation-states is merely an incidental function of states seeking maximize their respective welfares and that the behavior of nation-states must always be seen through a prism which presupposes a primacy of self-interest among rational actors. The realist school of thought has largely predominated in the field of international relations for several decades, though it has been heavily criticized by those who believe realism is devoid of necessary ethical and moral compasses required to identify times when rational actors may not behave quite so rationally, thereby incurring human suffering. Realist international relations are heavily dependent upon multinational, multilateral go verning bodies such as NATO, the United Nations, etc., and individual nation-states’ adherence to the norms proscribed by membership in these types of institutions. Clearly, however, common sense provides us with numerous examples where both rational choice theory and realism have failed to accurately predict irrational behavior by nation-states and/or their leaders, and thus failed to predict and alleviate human suffering. Critiques of rational choice theory and realism point to the Holocaust, genocide in Sudan, Saddam Hussein’s attack on Kuwait, etc., as recent and painful examples of the failure of an over-dependency on theoretical models to predict complex human behavior. Realist international relations paradigms successfully guided the world through the Cold War without an additional conflict along the scale of World Wars I and II, however, so they cannot be held to be meritless. The application of scientific method to international relations is in part a function of necessity rather than any proof that the interactions of nation-states are easily describable by unassailably accurate theories; in short, attempts to analyze human behavior on a global scale, however imperfect, is a far preferable modus operandi than simply guessing as to why nation-states behave as they do. The stakes are simply too high – human lives, human welfare, for example for ad hoc guesswork to be the de facto methodology of international relations. An acknowledgement of the limitations of scientific method as applied in the social sciences is as important as its very application. BIBLIOGRAPHY Ruben, David-Hillel. (1998). â€Å"Social science, philosophy of,† In E. Craig (Ed.), Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy. London: Routledge. Available from:  http://www.rep.routledge.com/article/R047 Coleman, J. S. and Ferrero, M. (1992) Rational Choice Theory: Advocacy and  Critique. London: Sage Green, D.P. and Shapiro, I. (1994) Pathologies of Rational Choice Theory: A Critique of Applications in Political Science. New Haven: Yale University Press. Shepsle, K. A. and Bonchek, M. S. (1997) Analyzing Politics. London: Norton.

Pearl Harbor Interactive Map

How did the United States attempt to halt the Japanese before the attack? They shot the submarine and it sunk. . On which Hawaiian island is pearl Harbor located? AAU 4. What did Bert Davis and Warren Law think the chances were for a Japanese attack? Bert Davis thought that it wasn't goanna happen as quick as it did. Warren Law thought that they weren't going to do it. 5. How many Japanese planes were in the first wave of the attack? 1 83 6. Which ship fired the first shots Of the war between the U. S. And Japan? Did the first shot hit?The Us Destroyer Ward and the first shot did not hit but the second one did. 7. At what time did the Ward report that it had been engaged? 6:30 8. Why does this message move so slowly? . At 0720 an officer in training shrugs off reports of the planes that were sighted†¦ Why? For security reasons he cannot tell radio operators. 10. At 0733 a message arrives in Honolulu, what happened that led Roosevelt to believe there may be an attack? A decoded J apanese message. 1 1 . According to Japanese pilot Harbor Hosing, how did they judge how high to fly?If the spray from the torpedo hit the wings 12. When the attack started what had the Japanese hoped to see, and didn't? Aircraft carriers 13. How did Warren Jones know that this was not a drill? 0755 He heard guns firing from his side of defense 14. What mistake on the part Of the Japanese led to the Utah being hit? They saw the wood-covered decks, and Hough she was a carrier 15. After reading about the Oklahoma, what happened which made it hard for the crew to escape? The battleship rolled over 16.Why was the Arizona hit by torpedoes and tables not? How were Carl Carbon's and Warner Falseness experiences different? The torpedoes went under the Vestal and they were different because Carl was on the Arizona and Warner was on the Vestal. 17. Where was Mary' Ann Ramsey? What does she remember? She was on Ford Island, and she remembers exploding of bombs, whine of lanes, fragments explod ing, smoke everywhere 18. Who was Dories Miller? Why is he considered such a hero? Dories Miller saved and injured captain and then shot down 3 Joneses planes 19.On the West Virginia 3 men survived trapped until what date? What happened? December 23, and they died because the air gave out 20. Why couldn't the B-1 7 Flying Fortresses that arrived from the mainland help? It couldn't help because they didn't have any gunfire 21 . Why was the explosion on the Arizona so devastating? It was so devastating because it killed 11 77 men and it all happened in 9 minutes 22. Who was America's first prisoner of war? Ensign Kane Kamala 23. Why did the Nevada not continue with her escape?

Safety

Safety means protecting ourselves from any danger that may hurt us or endanger to our lives. Unsafe practice is a great peril to both life and property. A two wheeler rider who rides recklessly not only risks his own life, but also the other road users. School children getting run over by their same school vans or getting knocked down while crossing the road or getting drowned in die pond or falling from high places or getting electrocuted and so on; such news appear in the newspapers. This is because of their lack of knowledge about overall safety, be it 011 die road or anywhere. While crossing die road, they must not run across in blind panic. Wait till the traffic policeman or the green ‘Walk’ signal appear. Even then look for some vehicle drivers who jump signals and cross die road with the others. Safety means protecting ourselves from any danger that may hurt us or endanger to our lives. Unsafe practice is a great peril to both life and property. A two wheeler rider who rides recklessly not only risks his own life, but also the other road users. School children getting run over by their same school vans or getting knocked down while crossing the road or getting drowned in die pond or falling from high places or getting electrocuted and so on; such news appear in the newspapers. This is because of their lack of knowledge about overall safety, be it 011 die road or anywhere. While crossing die road, they must not run across in blind panic. Wait till the traffic policeman or the green ‘Walk’ signal appear. Even then look for some vehicle drivers who jump signals and cross die road with the others. Safety means protecting ourselves from any danger that may hurt us or endanger to our lives. Unsafe practice is a great peril to both life and property. A two wheeler rider who rides recklessly not only risks his own life, but also the other road users. School children getting run over by their same school vans or getting knocked down while crossing the road or getting drowned in die pond or falling from high places or getting electrocuted and so on; such news appear in the newspapers. This is because of their lack of knowledge about overall safety, be it 011 die road or anywhere. While crossing die road, they must not run across in blind panic. Wait till the traffic policeman or the green ‘Walk’ signal appear. Even then look for some vehicle drivers who jump signals and cross die road with the others. Safety means protecting ourselves from any danger that may hurt us or endanger to our lives. Unsafe practice is a great peril to both life and property. A two wheeler rider who rides recklessly not only risks his own life, but also the other road users. School children getting run over by their same school vans or getting knocked down while crossing the road or getting drowned in die pond or falling from high places or getting electrocuted and so on; such news appear in the newspapers. This is because of their lack of knowledge about overall safety, be it 011 die road or anywhere. While crossing die road, they must not run across in blind panic. Wait till the traffic policeman or the green ‘Walk’ signal appear. Even then look for some vehicle drivers who jump signals and cross die road with the others. Safety means protecting ourselves from any danger that may hurt us or endanger to our lives. Unsafe practice is a great peril to both life and property. A two wheeler rider who rides recklessly not only risks his own life, but also the other road users. School children getting run over by their same school vans or getting knocked down while crossing the road or getting drowned in die pond or falling from high places or getting electrocuted and so on; such news appear in the newspapers. This is because of their lack of knowledge about overall safety, be it 011 die road or anywhere. While crossing die road, they must not run across in blind panic. Wait till the traffic policeman or the green ‘Walk’ signal appear. Even then look for some vehicle drivers who jump signals and cross die road with the others. Safety means protecting ourselves from any danger that may hurt us or endanger to our lives. Unsafe practice is a great peril to both life and property. A two wheeler rider who rides recklessly not only risks his own life, but also the other road users. School children getting run over by their same school vans or getting knocked down while crossing the road or getting drowned in die pond or falling from high places or getting electrocuted and so on; such news appear in the newspapers. This is because of their lack of knowledge about overall safety, be it 011 die road or anywhere. While crossing die road, they must not run across in blind panic. Wait till the traffic policeman or the green ‘Walk’ signal appear. Even then look for some vehicle drivers who jump signals and cross die road with the others. Safety means protecting ourselves from any danger that may hurt us or endanger to our lives. Unsafe practice is a great peril to both life and property. A two wheeler rider who rides recklessly not only risks his own life, but also the other road users. School children getting run over by heir same school vans or getting knocked down while crossing the road or getting drowned in die pond or falling from high places or getting electrocuted and so on; such news appear in the newspapers. This is because of their lack of knowledge about overall safety, be it 011 die road or anywhere. While crossing die road, they must not run across in blind panic. Wait till the traffic policeman or the green ‘Walk’ signal appear. Even then look for some vehicle drivers who jump signals and cross die road with the others. Safety means protecting ourselves from any danger that may hurt us or endanger to our lives. Unsafe practice is a great peril to both life and property. A two wheeler rider who rides recklessly not only risks his own life, but also the other road users. School children getting run over by their same school vans or getting knocked down while crossing the road or getting drowned in die pond or falling from high places or getting electrocuted and so on; such news appear in the newspapers. This is because of their lack of knowledge about overall safety, be it 011 die road or anywhere. While crossing die road, they must not run across in blind panic. Wait till the traffic policeman or the green ‘Walk’ signal appear. Even then look for some vehicle drivers who jump signals and cross die road with the others. Safety means protecting ourselves from any danger that may hurt us or endanger to our lives. Unsafe practice is a great peril to both life and property. A two wheeler rider who rides recklessly not only risks his own life, but also the other road users. School children getting run over by their same school vans or getting knocked down while crossing the road or getting drowned in die pond or falling from high places or getting electrocuted and so on; such news appear in the newspapers. This is because of their lack of knowledge about overall safety, be it 011 die road or anywhere. While crossing die road, they must not run across in blind panic. Wait till the traffic policeman or the green ‘Walk’ signal appear. Even then look for some vehicle drivers who jump signals and cross die road with the others. Safety means protecting ourselves from any danger that may hurt us or endanger to our lives. Unsafe practice is a great peril to both life and property. A two wheeler rider who rides recklessly not only risks his own life, but also the other road users. School children getting run over by their same school vans or getting knocked down while crossing the road or getting drowned in die pond or falling from high places or getting electrocuted and so on; such news appear in the newspapers. This is because of their lack of knowledge about overall safety, be it 011 die road or anywhere. While crossing die road, they must not run across in blind panic. Wait till the traffic policeman or the green ‘Walk’ signal appear. Even then look for some vehicle drivers who jump signals and cross die road with the others. Safety means protecting ourselves from any danger that may hurt us or endanger to our lives. Unsafe practice is a great peril to both life and property. A two wheeler rider who rides recklessly not only risks his own life, but also the other road users. School children getting run over by their same school vans or getting knocked down while crossing the road or getting drowned in die pond or falling from high places or getting electrocuted and so on; such news appear in the newspapers. This is because of their lack of knowledge about overall safety, be it 011 die road or anywhere. While crossing die road, they must not run across in blind panic. Wait till the traffic policeman or the green ‘Walk’ signal appear. Even then look for some vehicle drivers who jump signals and cross die road with the others.

Character Analysis OfCathedral By Raymond Carvers Cathedral

The life of the unnamed wife was a series of events. She received a job reading to a blind man in Seattle named Robert who she became very fond of. After some time, the wife married her childhood sweetheart who was a part of the military and ended up moving away. She kept in touch with Robert throughout her time overseas, the divorce and the marriage to her new husband. The two kept in touch, but began to drift apart until Roberts wife died and he came to visit the unnamed narrator and wife (Carver p.32-35). Once Robert walked through the door his appearance and personality surprised the narrator greatly. In Raymond Carver’s â€Å"Cathedral† the narrator is constantly judging Robert because of his disability. The narrators’ analysis of the†¦show more content†¦Along with the beard Robert was continually lighting up cigarettes and putting them in an ashtray (Carver p.36). This led the narrator to more confusion because Robert could not see the smoke from the cigarette and putting out the cigarette could not be easy for someone who is blind. It is also common that those who are blind wear dark glasses at all times to keep their eyes covered from the public, Robert was the exception. An additional stereotype given to the blind is that they are unable to live alone and care for themselves (â€Å"Top†). Before Robert came to visit he was married to his wife, Beulah. His wife passed away shortly before his appearance at the home of his old friend, but in the short time after his wife had passed and before he had met her, he had been caring for himself and living life alone without his disability slowing him down. Along with living alone Robert was able to transport himself to the train so he could visit his friend and her husband. As one can see being blind does not slow down a person physically, especially Robert. Throughout the story the narrator was treating Robert as if he had a disability and the wife treated him as if there was nothing strikingly different about him. Today people who are blind are treated as an outsider because people believe that they can’t do anything because they have a disability. In â€Å"Cathedral† the reader can see that being blind doesn’t slow Robert down or make him feel like an