Human being Knowledge & social science
Human beings are the best creature
of the Creator. Why? Human being
has got some distinct qualities,
behaviors, sensitiveness, instincts,
education, capability of prediction
which are absent in beasts and
other creature. The mankind
is considered as ‘ashraful makhlukat’
and is immensely blessed by
the Creator. Only the human
beings have been given the ability
to acquire knowledge of different
branches of civilization. But
unfortunately education the
prime means of acquiring knowledge,
as it appears is no more knowledge
based and now a days, its aim
appears mainly to have an institutional
degree or certificate just for
securing one’s earning. Needless
to say, efforts of building
up the next generation and a
healthy society can only ensure
prosperous and happy future
of our society and growth of
civilization.
Man is rational animal and
his activities are expected
to be founded on rational thinking,
conscious prediction, belief
and knowledge based wisdom.
Generally an educated people
are considered to be a knowledgeable
people. But indeed mere institutional
education is not enough to be
rational and knowledgeable in
true sense. Rationality differs
from nation to nation, society
to society and it changes with
time and development of civilization.
II. Components of Knowledge
For the sake of up to date
development of all disciplines
the people have to become knowledgeable
in real sense. A man has to
transform his knowledge into
wisdom. In the task of locating
problem, formulating plan, taking
decision, execution of decision
a person must apply his knowledge
gathered mainly from the study
of social science. Knowledge
thus consists of some essential
components which are as below:
a. Education
b. Ability of perception
c. Attitudes
d. Belief
e. Prediction
f. Rationality
g. Consciousness
The above components are discussed
below as I have understood from
the lectures listened. I consider
the deliberations on the topic
to be effective and fruitful
for understanding the public
administration one of disciplines
of the social science.
II.a Education: the foundation
of acquiring Knowledge
Studentship is a key part of
one’s life. It builds up a man
to be educated. Once this part
ceases he enters into his working
world where he faces the reality,
solves problems by using and
exercising the knowledge he
gathered by way of getting education.
Even though acquiring knowledge
is a continuous process and
it never ceases.
A man can change the structure
and chemistry of his brain in
a specific area by repeatedly
using his mind in a certain
way? The way must be a rational
one. The first implication here
is that he can make permanent
changes in the way he thinks
and feels, but there is another
implication. Permanent change
means that if he is to change
the way he thinks, he has to
undo concrete changes. This
takes more than wisdom; it takes
time and effort, not just knowing,
but doing. Rational prediction
is a brain storming task that
needs knowledge and wisdom to
materialize an action designed
for the welfare of the society.
The question is not of knowing,
but of developing our wisdom,
our inner knowledge. Our understanding
should increase. Wisdom is the
essence of knowledge. Just like
perfume is attained by squeezing
the essence out of flowers,
so wisdom is the sum and substance
of all knowledge, all experiences.
Wisdom is a fragrance. When
a thousand experiences and knowledge
are compressed, one drop of
wisdom is attained.
Vision is to be broadened,
otherwise traditional knowledge
will be of no use for the betterment
and welfare of the society and
mankind. Now-a-days, mostly,
information is regarded as knowledge.
The more one knows, the more
knowledgeable he considers himself
to be. Quantity means quality
to him. However much information
he gathers, it will all be borrowed.
Knowledge is one's own.
A human being is like an onion.
Remove one layer, and there
is another layer; remove this
and there is yet another. A
man is nothing but a collection
of knowledge, experience, information,
understanding, education, impressions,
culture and tradition. A man
is hidden by his own coverings.
II.b. Ability of perception
A man has to acquire ability
to perceive the ‘cause and effect
relationship’ of any work or
incident and its consequence.
Only ability to do some work
or to understand the necessity
or causes of doing the work
does not make a man knowledgeable.
He must have some quality enabling
himself to foresee the consequences
of the work he intends to do
in achieving the goal.
That is to say that a man must
have some ability or techniques
to predict the effects or consequences
of the work he intends to do.
In plain words, one should consider
the costs and benefits. Understanding
potential gains and eventual
losses or effects will fuel
a man’s endeavors and get his
brain to cooperate. What will
happen if he does not reach
his goal? How will he feel?
How will his life change if
he does succeed? The concept
of ‘prediction’ lies with the
above thinking.
II.c. Diversity of attitudes
Thoughts and attitudes differ
from man to man. Men having
same education may not have
identical attitude and way of
thinking as each independent
people belongs to some own values,
morals, religion and they are
nourished in different socio-economic
environments. Besides, the family,
the primary institution of human
development, also significantly
influences a man in carrying
some settled values, norms,
morals in his mind.
II.d Belief
Belief is the fundamental thing
of all activities planned and
done by men; belief awakens
one’s self consciousness that
help a man to exercise the moral
sense or sense of right and
wrong ; good or clear, bad or
guilty. Thus, self consciousness
and determination based on belief
ultimately enable a man to design
his way of action and implement
of it. Consciousness relates
to persons as each of persons
can see himself from the inside.
A belief is inculcated in the
mind of a person by various
factors. But not so with knowledge.
Knowledge is gained by a person
by making use of his perceptional
faculties. The perceptional
faculties enable a man to predict
the ‘cause and effect relationship’
of his action in rational way.
II.e Prediction
The concept of prediction is
another aspect which is founded
on
1 Knowledge
2 Self consciousness
3 Attitude
4 Way of thinking
5 Belief
6 Method of studying social
science
The pattern of prediction varies
from man to man because of diversity
of age, values, morals, intelligence
of different peoples. In the
light of cause and effect relationship
as discussed in the social science
prediction is to be made. Imaginary
prediction in fact is no prediction
as it is devoid of knowledge,
self consciousness and is not
based on ‘causal relationship’.
The ability of prediction is
a special faculty of human beings
which is enriched through acquiring
knowledge. Prediction not based
on knowledge and self consciousness
will be of no use and is incomplete
in nature.
II.f Rationality
Human being is a complex creature
having multiplex thoughts, instincts,
values etc. External behavior
of a man can easily be seen
and studied but his inner instincts
that are invisible cannot. Man
is rational being. He is able
to kill the ill instincts hidden
in his inner mind only through
acquiring knowledge and nourishment
of rational norms and values.
If he fails, there will be no
difference between a beast and
human being.
Reason is man’s only means
of knowing reality, upon which
his survival in reality depends.
Whether man is alone on a desert
island, scurrying around with
a pack of savages, or living
in a city of billions: man must
think—and then act on his thinking,
if life is his goal. Man is
a rational animal, and reality
dictates that to survive, man
must be rational—by choice.
The dominant position of rationality
in Western civilization and
philosophical tradition dates
from the time when Ren È Descartes
explicitly placed it in its
key position within his conception
of philosophy. His conception
of philosophy of rationalism
is based on respect for and
the confidence in scientific
knowledge, which he defines
with his own means as an activity
having rationality in its essence.
Rationality involves some universal
and settled morals, values,
practices, attitudes etc. In
the society the matters before
the men are to be viewed and
considered in rational way or
path by keeping the causal relationship
as discussed in the social science
in mind. In our civilization
to act rationally means the
same as to act correctly. This
is in the core of the philosophy
of rationalism. To think rationally
means to approach decisions
how to act in a correct way.
Two Kinds of Rationality
Substantive Rationality Functional
Rationality It involves the
way to achieve goal. It involves
the strategy to be fixed for
achieving the goal.
Strategy is something like
technique that helps to achieve
the goal through a particular
way. Strategy is a changing
factor depending on the needs,
pattern, norms, resource, values,
and habits of a particular society.
Thus, formulation of strategies
also needs one’s knowledge,
self consciousness, openness
of mind, wisdom, ability of
prediction.
Human conducts and activities
are pregnant of diversities
reflecting various attitudes
some of which may have adverse
effect on the society that needs
a rational control by the knowledge.
For the knowledge and rational
path walk side by side. Human
faculties must be rational.
Otherwise society, family, or
community will be in disorder.
II.g Consciousness
Philosophers such as Immanuel
Kant think that rationality
is a distinct feature of persons.
This position implies that to
be a person means to be a rational
being and that one cannot be
a person unless one is rational.
Other philosophers think that
in order to be termed a person;
one must have a certain level
of consciousness of one's own
consciousness that helps him
to acquire the art of prediction.
Thus, ability to predict makes
a knowledgeable person wise
and vice versa. A man by exercising
wisdom based on knowledge is
an able person to predict the
cause and effect relationship.
A man must keep his eyes and
conscience open and aware of
the matters and things prevailing
and happening surrounding him
and in the society and the things
happened in the world history.
A man is to keep his mind as
an open window. Thus openness
of mind in other words is linked
with one’s consciousness.
III. Selectiveness And human
perception: Modern Approaches
Every man is selective in his
own sphere of his activities.
It is indeed inherent characteristic
of human being. In the process
of decision making the characteristics
and attitudes of man plays a
vital role. Thus, for correct
decision correct prediction
is essential and here also inevitably
comes the concept of ‘cause
and effect relation’. There
are two modern approaches of
selectiveness by man in social
science which are as below:
1 Close system approach
2 Open system approach
Extreme close system approach
prompts a man to make one eyed
or arbitrary decision causing
adverse effect. In this system
idea of better prediction is
ignored resulting narrow vision
and thus a man fails to spray
the fragrance of his knowledge
which is called ‘wisdom’.
When a man is not conscious
of abstracting, when he assumes
more knowledge than he really
has or when he acts as if he
knows it all, he falls victim
to the “allness orientation”.
This is the person with the
closed mind, the person who
thinks he knows it all. Characteristics
of a closed mind person are
–
1 Extremely subtle
2 Refusal to learn
3 Refusal to listen
4 Refusal to look or look again
5 Refusal to change or keep
up to date
6 Assuming knowledge that one
doesn’t have
7 Refusal to ask questions
8 Jehovah complex
9 Self-satisfied Man
10 Refusal to delegate responsibility
11 One-way communication
12 Poor mental health and Inferiority
Complex
We know wisdom teaches a man
to select right or wrong. If
the selection or any decision
is right then its maker is said
to be wise. Thus, we may conclude
that he who applying the essence
of his knowledge designs a plan
or way of action predicts better
is a wise man.
Multiplex principles make a
man flexible in nature and attitude
and thus he may sometimes fail
to predict correctly before
taking a decision or designing
policy. In order to study social
science one has to learn the
‘open system approach’ so that
he becomes able to know the
prevailing socio-economic picture
of the society. A particular
society consists of various
people belonging to different
religions, values, culture,
ethics, needs, family structure.
There are many other variables
involved in human perception.
A person’s ability or capacity,
his existing knowledge, education
or training all play an important
role in abstracting. Change
and process are important limiting
factors, for we live in a dynamic
world where things, as well
as ourselves, are constantly
changing. Despite the fact that
our evaluations and perceptions
are personal the above variables
play an important role in our
consideration of dogmatic behavior.
IV. Causal Relationship and
Study of Social Science
Mathematics helps to understand
physical science while language
helps to understand the study
and research of the social science.
Language is the very tool that
we use in communication. Anthropologists
and linguists such as Edward
Sapir and Benjamin Lee Whorf,
along with Alfred Korzybski,
have emphasized the important
role that language plays in
thinking, perceiving and behaving.
Study of social science is
essential for acquiring efficiencies
and knowledge in rational way
to understand the cause and
effect relationship. It is to
be noted that cause and effect
combinedly said to be the ‘causal
relationship’. Through the practice
of perception of ‘causal relationship’
we may have clear ideas and
prediction about the cause and
effect of the events that take
place surrounding us.
However, the way of proper
and clear utilization of one’s
knowledge in proper manner can
promote human resource development
and organization management.
The extensive study of social
science enables a man to attain
the ability of correct prediction
in rational way. Methods of
studying social science are:
1 Descriptive method
2 Historical Method
IV.a Descriptive method: This
method has to be utilized in
all kinds of research; its only
difference will be either more
or less. For example, we use
observational technique in investigation
of the problem but later we
have to describe and write down
what we have found from such
research. Whitney points out
that by descriptive method of
research it means an attempt
to locate and define difficulty
that has started the thinking
process, many checks of present
status in the field of investigation
may be made.
In other words, Whitney’s concept
of descriptive method of research
is a ‘fact-finding with adequate
interpretation’. Good thinks
of descriptive studies as the
studies which may include present
facts or current conditions
concerning the nature of a group
of persons, a number of objects,
or a class of events and may
involve the procedures of induction,
analysis, classification, enumeration
or measurement. Whitney divided
‘descriptive method’ of research
into five different types which
are as below:
1 The research survey
2 Continuity description
3 Case-study research
4 Job and actively analysis
5 Library and documentary research.
IV.b Historical Method :This
method involves “the use of
records of previous events for
the purpose of arriving at generalizations
that may be used for the solving
of current problems”. We know
that the past contains, if it
can be located, the key to the
present. Sometimes the past
lends us light in taking decision
by applying our knowledge to
achieve the goal. Society is
not a static organization, but
as an organism continually growing
through dynamic changes helps
us gain greater insight into
its structure and functioning.
Everything has an antecedent
history a natural development
of which tends to exert influence
on the present.
Thus we see that historical
method of research can be applied
to use in all disciplines regardless
of their natural or social sciences
.Historical approach is universal
in almost all disciplines. For
example, the physician secures
case-history from the patient,
the lawyer asks his client to
disclose the whole story from
the beginning, and psychologist
inquires about the past of the
patient’s mental malfunctioning
or lack of adjustment. According
to Gottschalk the historical
method consists of –
1 The collection of probable
sources of information
2 The examination of those
sources for genuineness (either
as a whole or in part).
3 The analysis of the sources
or parts of sources proved genuine
for their credible particulars.
