Scientist: Neither equality nor justice are natural. They are human fantasies. Like God and miracles.
[Devdutt Pattanaik]
What about social-scientists? I ask.
There is a far greater amount of denial and disbelief that a social scientist faces or counters these days, compared to an atheist or a scientist.
Some hard-core critics club the social-scientists with theorists, and mumbo jumbo jingoists, in fact, with anyone who is not based on the 'hard sciences', or even the 'common sense' reality. Now that maybe extreme, but the fact remains that social scientists are no longer trusted or looked up to as before.
One must remember, social scientists help quash myths. The call for advancement of social justice isn't a scamming scheme.
Social scientists are required to study social movements and changes brought about in society.
Even the literature written by the social scientists are often looked down upon by the so-called free world. Whereas, in reality, the social scientists use scientific methods to obtain evidence. They are meant to play a crucial role in evidence-based policymaking.
Part of what makes social scientists unique is their convergence research approach.
Research on human behaviour, cultures, markets, law, and politics are essential to understand the prevailing challenges in society. It's not just about the 'what' and 'how' of new technologies, but also the 'who' and 'why'.
Understanding the legal and regulatory landscapes is vital for the responsible development and adoption of technologies.
It is absolutely necessary to study the social and ethical dimensions of key problems. Societies are always about diverse values and beliefs.
Economic analysis and modelling help us evaluate the broader impacts of our policies and technologies, ensuring it's not just about innovation but about sustainable and equitable growth, that technologies contribute positively to society.
Social-scientific perspectives are indeed important and diverse disciplines are thus to be integrated to solve problems of sustainability in multiple fields.
Essential read: courtesy - Quantitative Social Science Library
