is social science scientific?
...cial sciences. Keynes found socialism to be a utopianism ideal, which caused people to be easily influenced without really being aware of all the facts. He didn’t believe that there was any science involved at all, and thus people were being misinformed and history was influenced in a negative way. Without Keynes providing specific evidence as to why social science is not scientific, Comte and Engels’ ideas on sociology cannot be debated. Auguste Comte, who is credited with being the founding father of sociology, strongly believes that this form of knowledge is in fact scientific. He provides evidence such as his specific stages of awareness; these stages are comparable to other scientific laws, like the different stages in physical, human development in the science of Biology. The three different stages; mythopoetic, metaphysical and positive, can all be observed in the maturation of a child into an adult; everyone progresses through these three phases. Comte held social sciences to the same “natural laws” that other sciences are held to, however he also described how sociology is different. He believed the key difference in social sciences, is that the causes of “phenomena” and specific behavior is investigated, rather that overlooked. Comte went as far as to compare his third stage of knowledge, positive (also known as scientific) to a type of religion, because he believed that positivism holds the whole truth, and one day this whole truth will replace what is not real in theology. His strong beliefs and descriptions of sociology provide others with evidence that there is a scientific system in this knowledge. Friedrich Engels further supported statements made by Auguste Comte, and also added his own beliefs and findings to maintain the belief that sociology is scientific. Engels took Comte’s findings and applied them to groups of people. He said that ignorance is a sign of someone who is not freedom; freedom comes with the knowledge gained. He is known for applying Marxists beliefs to sociology. Many considered Engels radical because of his ideas on how social science is logical and because of his application of his sociological beliefs to common people. His primary objective in his teachings was to prove how external nature affects internal laws. Also, Friedrich is credited with discovering a scientific pattern inside of social sciences; this only provides more evidence that sociology is scientific. Friedrich Engels ability to see the science inside of sociology and further build upon Comte’s findings helps to illustrate the scientific pattern. Unlike Auguste Comte and Friedrich Engels, ...