Human+Sciences+and+History

After completing one of the surveys, answer the following questions: //Is this science? Why or why not? // ** It is somewhat a science in the sense that it takes your responses and develops an analysis of the type of person you are. However, it's not a very accurate science, because the surveys are not free-response: you're limited to certain choices. Therefore the analysis won't be completely accurate, because your answer may not necessarily be in total agreement with the choice you chose, but you chose it simply because it was the closest to your answer.
 * Psychology Tests :

Insights that I gained: what type of person I'm closest to (since I can't necessarily be the type they told me because I chose answers that were closest to the answer I wanted). Insights that I did not gain: the actual type of person I am - again, the survey only provided me with their belief as to what type of person I'm closest to, considering that not all the choices provided agreed completely with the answer I would have given. //
 * //What insights did you gain (and not gain) from the survey(s) you completed?

//Review the test again, Choose a question you considered valid, one you considered problematic, and explain why. //  **Problematic**:  Think about when you have helped your own mother or father. How important is it for children to help parents? - None of the choices provided were ones that I would have used, and so I had to choose the choice that came the closest to my preferred answer. They may have done this intentionally because if they allowed a free-response answer, it would be near impossible to develop a proper analysis as there would be hundreds of different possible answers. Valid: **What about saving the life of anyone? How important is it for a person (without losing his or her own life) to save the life of a complete stranger? - Range of choices provided, so I was able to find a choice that was basically my preferred answer.

**The Difference Between a Good Question and a Bad One ** //What makes a good question? // A good question is one that asks something with the intention of receiving an answer that some form of benefit can be derived from. This means that it's not a silly question with no purpose, but a question that is asked for a reason.

//What makes a bad question? // This is the opposite of a good question. A bad question is one with no use, a question in which no benefit can be derived from, and a question to which the answer to is already known by the asker.

//What's the difference? //<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;"> The difference between a good question and a bad question is that when asking a good question, there is an purpose to asking the question and there is the intention of receiving benefit from the answer. A bad question, on the other hand, will have no real purpose and there is no intention of receiving benefit from the answer.

//<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Can we, as humans, learn from our mistakes based on past events studied in history? // <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; font-weight: normal;"> Bad question because it assumes that we have made mistakes in the past. //<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;"> Why do we study history? // <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; font-weight: normal;"> Bad question in the sciences because it's more of a philosophy question, assumes that we have a reason for studying history. //<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;"> What is supply and demand? // <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; font-weight: normal;"> Good question because it had a straightforward answer to it. //<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;"> What caused World War 1? B ad question because the way it's phrased implies that there it only one cause to WWI, should be rephrased to something like "What were the factors that contributed to the start of WWI?"
 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Examples of Questions

Assuming food, shelter, water, and other needs are taken care of, if you had $100, what would you spend it on? <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; font-style: normal;">Good question because it makes you question what is considered valuable to you after your basic necessities. <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;"> What is the cause of Global Warming? a. Humans, b. Natural Climate Change, c. Fossil Fuels, d. China <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; font-style: normal;">Bad question because it's multiple choice, forcing you to choose just one answer when there could be many more. Assumes that it must be one of these choices and that you agree with the choice you choose. <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">

What is historiography? <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; font-style: normal;">Good question because it has a straightforward answer to it. <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">

Are the human sciences important to the natural sciences? Good question because it's relating the two sciences together.

In what ways might social, political, cultural, and religious factors affect the types of natural science research that are financed and undertaken or rejected (e.g. Cloning)? Good question because it takes into account the several factors that affect the natural sciences.

Does life exist beyond our planets? Bad question because the answer requires evidence to be collected, which would be very difficult to obtain. The process of collecting evidence is also based on the assumption that there is evidence to be gained out there.

What is the 1st element on the periodic table? // <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; font-weight: normal;"> Good question for science because it has a straightforward answer to it.

<span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; font-weight: normal;">Secondly, define the following fields, find an example of an author/researcher writing in this field, and explain what it is that they study. Fields include: archaeology, psychology, sociology, anthropology, political science, history, economics, philosophy, religion. ** <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Archaeology: the study of human history and prehistory through the excavation of sites and the analysis of artifacts and other physical remains. Writer: James P. Delgado, studies the history of shipwrecks, among other things. Psychology: the scientific study of the human mind and its functions, especially those affecting behavior in a given context. Writer: Glen O. Gabbard, studies borderline personality disorder. Sociology: the study of the development, structure, and functioning of human society. Writer: Steve Fuller, researches social epistemology. Anthropology: the study of humankind. Writer: Political Science: the branch of knowledge that deals with systems of government; the analysis of political activity and behavior. Writer: Norman Finkelstein, studies the Palestine-Israel conflict. History: the study of past event, particularly in human affairs. Writer: Michael Lynch, studies 19th and 20th century Europe as well as modern Russian and Chinese history. Economics: the branch of knowledge concerned with the production, consumption, and transfer of wealth. Writer: Bill McKibben, writes about economy and environmental issues. Philosophy: the study of the fundamental nature of knowledge, reality, and existence, especially when considered as an academic discipline. Writer: Bryan Greetham, writes about philosophy. Religion: <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif; line-height: 16px;">a set of beliefs concerning the cause, nature, and purpose of the universe <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;"> Writer:

__Individuals__ Thoughts: This is quite awkward. Feelings: Paranoia Assumptions: There's a reason for doing this, probably something related to sociology. Influences: Morals Problems: Am I doing anything I'm not supposed to be doing? __Groups__ Thoughts: What will the other group members do? Feelings: Excitement Assumptions: Same as when an individual Influences: Morals, other group members Problems: Have we done enough? Is what we're doing part of the experiment?
 * Class Experiment**:


 * Interpretations of History**:

Hegel: Problematic because new ideas that arise after old ones do not always conflict each other. Interpretation in a few words: conflict of ideas. Darwin: Problematic because a superior race will not always win, as there are external factors. For example, there could be a very weak, inferior race warring with a superior one, but incredibly bad weather may result in the inferior race winning the war. Interpretation in a few words: survival of the fittest. Marx: Somewhat problematic because it's not always a new method of production that creates conflict between classes. Interpretation in a few words: class conflict.

1. Based on the observations of group and individual behavior, it is reasonable to think human behavior can be studied. It can be studied because there is an expected action of a certain human based on previous action. However, a problem associated with studying behavior is accuracy. Since every human is different, each human's behavior will be different. Also, the same person may not always behave the same way. 2. A method that could be used in studying human behavior is observation. This was done in class by recording the actions of the students when they did the task individually and as a group. However, the recording of the behavior didn't work in this case. A problem that exists with the method of observation is that no matter how many times you observe someone's behavior, you will never be 100% sure what they will do next. This can be improved by basically increasing the percentage of being able to predict a behavior as close to 100% as possible. 3. Specific observations about behavior can lead to statements about human behavior in general, but it might not always be entirely accurate. This could be true in a situation where there is mass fear. For example, if people were in a building and suddenly an earthquake happens, it can be observed that the initial reaction of almost everybody is going to seek protection (most people will probably attempt to get out of the building). However, a situation where observations about behavior cannot lead to statements about human behavior in general is, for example, when two people get in fight. Many humans react differently in this case. Some fight back immediately, whereas some wouldn't fight at all and just stand there and take a beating, while others would just run immediately. There are different behaviors here, and so a general statement about human behavior cannot really be made in this case. Also, human behavior can be categorized or classified. There could be different categories or classifications for human behavior: violent, peaceful, calm, irritable, and so on.
 * Follow Up on Class Experiment:**

History: 1. What do we study? What is the nature of the subject? **
 * Class Responses:
 * ** The past - to benefit the future **
 * ** Different interpretations, views of other historians **
 * ** To study/analyze/discuss problems of history and solve them **
 * So that history doesn't repeat itself

2. Problems of History:
 * ** It's only written by the rich **
 * ** It's open to interpretation **
 * ** Conflicting views **
 * Controlled by government
 * Accuracy
 * Reliability
 * It is only written by the victors
 * Confusion in dates
 * Beliefs
 * Very limited sources from people of certain time periods
 * Conflicts in accuracy of information
 * Knowledge gained solely from what someone else wrote down

Other Problems in History:
 * Interpretations of Events
 * Influences of time, language, understanding
 * Can you develop a solution?
 * Where is there not a problem in identifying history
 * Search is for understanding of events and their effect on society and people