AOK#3 Human sciences

Hard sciences refer to physical sciences that are objective based; hence distinguish to be accurate and precise. These sciences rely on an empirical, systematic method to obtain data. Reflecting on AOK2 and 3, we could conclude that mathematics is an example of a hard science, as it consists of an empirical view that requires ones senses to perceive it. For instance the formula to work out the sum of a certain amount of numbers in an arithmetic sequence was given as: Sn= n/2 (2U1 + (n-1)d ). There would be only one ‘absolute’ answer when this equation is applied.
This example reinforces the definition of a hard science being such that in literal terms is ‘hard’ and inflexible, therefore there is always certainty in what should be obtained. This would be similar to physics where formulas are applied to reach an objective.
There are various errors that could be made during the process therefore I’ve never thought hard sciences are reliable.
In comparison soft sciences are not based on reproducible experimental data or mathematical explanation of that data. The research which depends upon a prediction, and a qualitative analysis, that does not result in a specific result is referred to as soft science. For example in food technology one would be relying on the varying taste perceptions of each individual therefore may derive to a general conclusion but will never satisfy every single person.

Whilst hard science is determined by an absolute answer soft science varies in it’s conclusions.

Jacqui.W : AoK#3 Human Sciences

Science can be categorized as 2 main types, soft and hard science, where science is defined as a branch of knowledge or study, which deals with a body of facts or truths systematically arranged and showing the operation of general laws.

Empiricism versus rationalism is like hard science versus soft science. Hard science is dependant on our perception, where we HAVE raw data and make sense of it while soft science is dependant on our sense perception where we take in raw data FROM our senses. I think that a hard science is considered one with solid facts and theories which, no matter how many times you do it, it’ll still be true. An example of this would be Hess’s Law in Chemistry. Hess’s Law states that the heat evolved or absorbed in a chemical process is the same whether the process takes place in one or several steps. This is proven to be true in most cases and if not, easily explainable as to why it wasn’t. However if this was tested under controlled environments where everything is perfect and no heat loss if possible, Hess’s Law would be proven correct every time. In comparison, for a soft science, I think it requires a lot more thinking and analyzing and interpretation however, the theories made up here would never be proven to be 100% correct even under controlled environments. An example could be Bradshaw’s Model in Geography. Bradshaw’s Model states that the velocity, wetted perimeter and other factors of a river will either increase or decrease as they go down the long profile of a perfect model river. From personal experience from the Thailand Geography Trip, it shows that Bradshaw’s Model does not fit with the river we studied in Thailand. This is not a personal opinion but a group opinion as no one had perfect results of the river which proves that a soft science theory is harder to prove and only works under certain specific circumstances which must be identical.

Some may argue that I was hypocritical in saying that soft science theories only work under certain specific circumstances similarly like the hard science theories should be tested under controlled environments. However the difference is, for the hard science experiments, it is easy to control the variables for example, mass/volume of reactants, equipment used to measure it and the condition of the room. For soft sciences however, it would be almost impossible to find 2 identical rivers to do the studies on and similarly, if the theory was for humans, it would be impossible to find 2 identical human beings. Even if they were identical twins, they would still be different in their own ways. This is the difference I am trying to explain between the “controlled conditions”. Hard sciences use this for experiments to test something they know, whereas soft sciences are trying to find out if it’s true or not. Although it seems like I have generalized it based on 2 examples only, but after deep thought I have thought about it seriously and believe that this is true in most cases.

Alyssa Wootten - AoK#3 Human Sciences

The similarities and differences between hard and soft sciences, I would say is that the hard sciences are more accurate as it tells us facts and figures straight up and hard sciences show us how to go about the world and how to generally understand it by giving us evidence gathered from observed experimental research.

The things discovered provide us with hard evidence, and things we wouldn't be able to understand nor explain with just common knowledge. Maths is a hard sciences as its something that more than half the time, you can't argue with or change to SUIT you, its there and you have to accept it whether you like it or not, its hard. Maths is also similar to chemistry, as they also have formulas for things to work out and base explanations - these formulas cannot be changed. Maths, Chemistry and the rest of the hard sciences are always deemed difficult, said that they demand alot of work and though, and concern discoveries far from the routine human experience --- such as DNA.
I’ve personally never liked the hard science of maths because (yeah ironically enough) it is hard, and if you don’t understand something and can't figure it out, it means you can't move onto the next thing/question because its just asking you the same thing over and over again in different ways and if you don't understand the basis of it its impossible to move on, this is mostly why I don't like hard sciences but another reason is that if I don't agree on something it doesn't really matter.

Soft sciences are based on 'theoretical' knowledge which is used to explain anything that science cant, and of course this means soft sciences lack evidence and are not as accurate. Soft sciences help us apply certain things to our lives and other peoples lives, and for example sociology, psychology, political science are some of the soft sciences because they are more understandable to the naked human mind and free of mathematical complications (!!) and concerned with every day concepts such as interpersonal relationships.

"Journalists help maintain this conceptual dualism, say leading Columbia social scientists. It happens, they say, because reporters tend to rely on social scientists as sources for commentary about current events such as crime, politics, or catastrophes. The media doesn't give much ink or air time to new knowledge generated by social science research activity, as it does in the hard sciences. As a result, the public image of social science research is more fluff than tough."
- Pamela Frost

To conclude hard and soft sciences both help us everyday of our lives and opposing them to one another won't achieve much if anything. They let us understand things we alone couldn’t and without, mankind would be substantially less civilized and instinctive. Hard & Soft sciences are the key to understanding ourselves and the people around us!

AOK#3 Human Sciences - Ming Fung

Science means : "In its broadest sense, science (from the Latin scientia, meaning "knowledge") refers to any systematic knowledge or practice. In its more usual restricted sense, science refers to a system of acquiring knowledge based on scientific method, as well as to the organized body of knowledge gained through such research." - from wikipedia. Where science can then be broken down into Natural Science and Social Sciences, which studies the natural phenomena and human behavior respectively.

Hard science are sciences that we are well proven, in which are "facts" we all recognise, such as 1 + 1 = 2. Perhaps one would say Mathematics may well be the hardest science that exists. As anything in maths may well be inevitable after a proof comes and explains why this is happening. HARD science also means that the outcome would also happen under certain conditions.

Natural sciences are very hard and factual, however not as much as mathematics. Many of science proofs come from mathematic proofs, how they are linked is maybe sometime very abstract. It is up to the scientists to make sense what is happening, although we know for a fact that this would happen under these conditions. For example, we know that atoms are made of protons, electrons and neutrons. An experiment found that when alpha particles were fired into gold peices, most of the particles would go straight through, leaving the conclusion that particles are mostly space, and the neucleus is very small. But this is only an assumption by the scientists. I think natural sciences, we know what would happen, but the theory behind it is mostly by the scientist imagination, it may not well be correct other than the fact that it seems like it makes sense.

Soft Science on the other hand, are humanity studies, like geography, psycology, etc... They usually come up with theories according to patterns that are collected from humans. But humans are very hard to study, especially how we think as we are all different in thinking beacuse we have all had different experiences. Therefore, social scientists come up with theories to explain the GENERAL trend of our actions. For example, in geography we set models cities, how they should look like. However the reality is that it differs from the model because of many different reasons that create uncertainties. I think this kind of science becomes quite unrealible in getting exactly what humans do, but we do get a general idea, and we do study about why they are not following to the theories.

In conclusion, both sciences are quite similar, because in the end it is up to the scientist him/herself to understand and make sense to what is happening. Just that one has less uncertainties and could be put into numbers, and the other having so many unknown and uncertan factors.

Robert Win - AoK#3 Human Sciences

"Hard Sciences" refer to the Physical or Natural sciences which include theories which can be confirmed as correct or false, through the use and evaluation of quantitative data which dominates over qualitative data in these types of sciences. For example, in Physics which is a appropriate example of a 'Hard Science', theories such as the acceleration of a falling object have had to be proven before being accepted as a 'fact' using experiments and quantitative measurements and results.

"Soft Sciences" refer to sciences which study theories and concepts without needing to be proved by pure quantitative data, and only in some areas is quantitative used in a 'soft science', and example of this would be Economics, due to its use of core mathematics and application to attempt to prove value judgements and theories.
Soft Sciences include many non-physical concepts such as the human mind, and the relationship between different animals, which use mainly qualitative data and is the researchers own interpretation of what he/she is studying, therefore many 'Soft Sciences' are based on opinions and value judgements of those who have researched what is being studied. Psychology is a good example for a Soft Science as it is the study of the Human (and animal) minds and emotions as well as several other factors. Those who practice Psychology such as Psychiatrists and Psychologists explain there findings in words to describe and diagnose different emotions, and mental conditions.

These of course can be contradicted by other Soft Scientist's research but it is the general acceptability of the diagnosed condition by many researchers which separate Hard Sciences and Soft Sciences as Hard Sciences require calculations, and data which should have the same result after each calculation, involving little of the researchers own opinions in the final result, meaning if one Hard Scientist has a theory which other Hard Scientists disagree with, if he/she has a (quantitative) formula to support his/her claim, he/she will be able to 'prove' the others wrong, causing the others to also support the new theory. In a Soft Science, it may be very difficult to prove to other Soft Scientists on a new theory, as it would be one scientists word over another, as mostly qualitative data will be shared, with little or no quantitative used.

Therefore, Hard meaning 'fact', 'can be proven' and Soft meaning, 'acceptable (could be accepted)' and is 'ones opinion'.

AoK3: Human Sciences -- Lesson 1- Jason

The improvements in the sciences in the past 2 centuries has allowed our thinking and reasoning reach a mature stage. Science is not only about the study of natural phenomenons (biology chemistry or physics), it is also the study of human society, psychology and our morals (philosophy). Yet, natural and human sciences is not enough to categorize all the different sciences, we have to consider whether the sciences are pragmatic or abstract, whether it is factual or fiction, whether its soft or hard.

Hard sciences, I believe are sciences which are solid, and practical. As in, you can prove it again and again without any anomalies at the standard condition. One example of this is chemistry. Although there are still some chemistry theories yet to be proven. Some of the most basic reaction such as the reaction between sodium and chlorine, without doubts gives us Sodium Chloride or table salt when performed at standard room temperature and atmosphere.

While soft sciences are usually based on theoretical and abstract knowledge which are often used to prove anything that science cannot prove. These soft sciences lacks proofs but they do provide useful models which we can apply to everyday life. Philosophy is one of these sciences. Various theories such as free will will make us wonder whether our actions are controlled by our own will or constrained by an external force (the idea of Matrix).

In conclusion, hard and soft sciences benefit us in understanding ourselves and the world around us whether they are factual or not. It also allows us to self-discover what we are really are.

Chloe Chan - AoK#3 Human sciences

Sciences can be split up into different fields where each one focuses on different areas of concepts. Hard and Soft sciences are categories in which we can place the different sciences under to determine whether the theories they propose can be proved in matter and whether they are determined or undetermined focuses in science.

Hard Sciences are areas where scientific methods are used to test questions and theories are made. They rely on hard firm evidence and put value into accuracy and quantitative data, they also try to find correlations between variables regardless of the possibility that there may be no linking relationship. The hard sciences to me can be defined as systematic and rigid in terms of acceptance of theories. An example of this may be how light intensity affects the photosynthesis of plants, where the results gained must represent the relationship between light intensity and rate of photosynthesis. .

The Soft sciences are areas where data analysed do not have to directly link to what is trying to be found out. Assumptions are qualitative and come from critical thinking within the mind. Soft sciences are not definite and are hard to test, thus leading to the possibilities of uncertainties. I therefore believe that in soft sciences indefinite assumptions exist and therefore it can be said that soft sciences are generally more lenient on its findings. An example of a soft science may be how mental processes of memory work in the human mind. This concept is hard to research and is full of uncertainty, the results gained can also not be measured and analysed with graphs.

I personally find that both hard and soft sciences are all different in polar ways. However, both types of sciences do provide theories and assumptions that may not necessarily be correct and true.

Hey Tou Chiu - AoK#3 - Human Sciences

In my opinion, hard sciences allow us to understand the world we live in by basing evidence gathered from empirical research. The conclusions and facts obtained from the experiments conducted provide us with ‘hard’ and difficult to refute explanations. This area of science is usually seen as more accurate than other ‘soft sciences’ as there is less space for argument when compared with sciences like psychology and philosophy. I think a good example of a ‘hard science’ is mathematics. In maths, there are formulas that are ‘solid’ and it is extremely difficult for us to challenge them as they work almost every single time. However, this is not to say that ‘hard sciences’ are impossible to refute.

On the other hand, ‘soft sciences’ usually refer to studies that relate to individual humans. These studies usually make use of qualitative data obtained from experiments and provide explanations relating to cause and effect i.e a certain behaviour. Unlike the ‘hard sciences’ studies of ‘soft sciences’ tend to have more criticisms as there are more aspects and areas that can influence the results of the experiment. More importantly, as the ‘soft sciences’ focuses more on a group of similar people or the individual itself, explanations and conclusions reached from results cannot be generalized to the wider population. This problem in itself is probably why certain sciences are categorized as ‘soft’ since they cannot give a complete picture of everything or everyone.

In fact, I think it is very difficult to clearly distinguish the difference between ‘hard’ and ‘soft’ sciences. This is because ‘soft sciences’ are also very similar in their way of investigating things. Research done in ‘soft sciences’ also have variables, hypothesis/predictions, analysis of quantitative data etc that are also methods used in studying the ‘hard sciences’. It can be argued that the only difference between the two is the subject that is being studied.

Yixia Gu: AoK 3- Human Sciences

The natural sciences enable us to understand the world around us. As the name suggests, the hard sciences are based on ‘concrete’ quantitative empirical evidence, which is evident in Maths and Physics. Theses studies are based on strictly logical and rationalizable facts. Everyone knows that 1+1=2 and that Newton’s law of gravity explains why we float off into outer space. To establish the evidence, much research and experimental would have been carried out, provided that all the extraneous variables and controlled so they don’t produce biased results.

Because the soft sciences are based on qualitative data, they are relatively flexible. Many of them especially relate to the study of humans as individuals, such as anthropology, thus much of the information cannot be generalised. And for some subjects such as History, there may not be one definite answer to certain historical events, or not one that every historian agrees on, as even certain statistics can be open to interpretations.

Both categories of sciences often overlap each other in concepts and theories such as that of evolution and anthropology. In addition, as ‘hard’ as the ‘hard’ sciences may be, it doesn’t mean that certain theories aren’t irrefutable, and similarly with the ‘soft’ sciences, different perspectives have different interpretations of the results they have. For example, the social problem of aggression may be explained by biological, societal, psychological and a multitude of other factors. I believe it is important to always look at the scientific data or evidence with a critical eye and come to an integrative approach, bearing in mind that there are still many mysteries in the universe that neither sciences can explain fully.

William Wong : AOK-Human Sciences

‘Hard sciences’ are the certain branches of natural and physical sciences that are perceived to be more accurate than its counterpart, the soft sciences. The hard sciences utilize empirical and quantifiable data obtained from the execution of an experiment(s) translated by the scientific method. Physics would be a hard science as an example because it has used data from an experiment utilizing the same amount of gas at different volumes to state Boyle’s law.

While the ‘soft sciences’ yield uncertain experimental results allowing for hypotheses and qualitative analysis of data to be produced. For example, the theory of direct democracy in political sciences has not established by quantifiable data therefore political sciences is not a ‘hard science’.

However there is much difficulty distinguishing between soft and hard sciences because many social sciences, like economics and psychology, use the scientific process to formulate hypotheses and test those using empirical data.

I believe we can only term ‘hard sciences’ and ‘soft sciences’ with a distinction at this time. But there is no one science that always pertains to one of the categories. For example, an experiment in chemistry has yielded anomalous results not due to any inconsistency in executing the experiment, remaining explained. Similarly, many other physical sciences have unexplained phenomena’s even to this date.

From this I believe soft sciences can actually utilize empirical data but not with the current level of science we are at. In Psychology, some argue that you can only describe human emotions or behavior with qualitative data. But I believe we can take one step further and go into a chemically molecular basis to investigate how a body of different atoms can form specific neurons that control behavior in different individuals at different times. There are many examples of this in the past, where scientists were not able to produce qualitative data from experiments thus yielding an uncertain conclusion.

Unfortunately, at this time we as humans are simply not able to translate some of the qualitative data into hard quantitative data.

But can we advance to development where we can obtain strong quantifiable conclusions in all social sciences? It is only with time, can we tell.

Norbert-AoK3: Human Sciences - Lesson 1

Hard sciences are studies of some areas of natural science, and are more accurate than social science. It relies on data gathered from experiments. For example, gravity is constant on the whole of Earth. Therefore the same object is attracted to the Earth by the same force, therefore weighing the same on the whole of Earth. However, there are always uncertainties that might affect the precision of the theory; the set of apparatus/substances that are being tested are assumed that they are identical to those used when the scientist were using when making those theories.
Soft sciences are studies of behaviour and relationships of human and the nature. Its theories are not based on experimental data; instead it is a very precise description of what generally happens in reality, but often there are exceptions. For example, when we are at home, humans would travel to the restaurant nearest to our home. It is a generalization of what theoretically happen. But for the example, it is restriction to our preference; we might prefer another restaurant because of its food variety, price, service….

The biggest difference between soft and hard sciences is how able it is to prove its theories and its precision of its theories. Certainly, they both have restrictions such as uncertainties for hard sciences and preferences for soft sciences as explored above. To explain my point, imagine your typical discussion with a friend/colleague. The topic of your discussion will be, for certain, affected by your preferences, events that have happened before or that will happen after your discussion etc. However, the theory of how it works is fundamentally the same. Air particles are vibrated, and sound waves are transferred by longitudinal waves, from the speakers’ throat to the eardrum of the listener.

AoK3: Human Sciences -- Lesson 1

In the first lesson, we considered the characteristics of HUMAN SCIENCES as a distinct area of knowledge. To do so, we highlighted a number of ways in which the HUMAN SCIENCES are both similar and different to the NATURAL SCIENCES (AoK#2):

• All sciences, whether natural or human, have to do with inquiry through observation and investigation (i.e. empirical approaches; use of the scientific method). They seek to understand and interpret our natural and social environment. Each science (and those working within the sciences: i.e. natural or human scientists) reveals only one aspect of the human condition.
• The NATURAL SCIENCES investigate the structure and workings of the body, human and other, as biological, physical, and chemical phenomena. They seek to understand and interpret the natural (or physical) environment. Examples of disciplines typically grouped as natural sciences include: Astronomy, biology, chemistry, earth science, and physics.
• The HUMAN SCIENCES examine the behaviour of human beings as social 'animals'. They seek to understand and interpret the social, cultural, and economic environment. Examples of disciplines typically grouped as human sciences include: Anthropology, economics, education, geography, history, law, linguistics, political science, psychology, social work, sociology.

However, whereas natural and human scientists study the natural and social existence of the body, human and other, using empirical methods, the HUMANITIES (and those working within the humanities: i.e. humanists) take largely analytic, critical, or speculative approaches to exploring and understanding the human condition. Humanists do not prioritize empirical approaches and/or rely on the scientific method in their inquiries. Examples of disciplines typically grouped as humanities include: Classics, history, languages, law, literature, performing arts, philosophy, religion, and visual arts.

For Lesson 2, you have been asked to do three things:

1. By Wednesday, April 15th, blog what you understand to be the similarities and differences between HARD and SOFT sciences in 250-300 words. To do so successfuly, you'll need to weave into your blog posting that you've studied WoKs (especially sense perception) and AoK1 (Mathematics) and AoK 2 (Natural Sciences). Please respond in a PERERR format -- i.e.
• make a POINT ("Hard sciences are...")
• provide an EXAMPLE ("An example of a hard science would be...")
• RETELL your example (describe it in your own words to illustrate your point)
• EXPLAIN your example (to develop your example, point)
• RELATE it to another example, experience ("This is similar to...")
• REFLECT upon it (i.e. inject YOUR voice, perspective, experience: "I've never enjoyed the hard science of X because I...").
2. Complete the hand-out's question #2 and bring to lesson 2.
3. Pplay the on-line game from the University of Chicago's Stereotyping and Prejudice Research Laboratory, The Police Officer's Dilemma. After reading the brief 'Paradigm' and 'Basic Findings' sections, scroll down to the bottom and select 'Try a beta version of our test on the web'. Give yourself 10-15 minutes to play and think about your results. Be prepared to talk about your results in Lesson 2.