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From: mangoe@umcp-cs.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.philosophy
Subject: Re: Science and Subjectivity
Message-ID: <136@umcp-cs.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 11-Jun-85 18:28:53 EDT
Article-I.D.: umcp-cs.136
Posted: Tue Jun 11 18:28:53 1985
Date-Received: Fri, 14-Jun-85 00:26:29 EDT
References: <26@umcp-cs.UUCP> <304@spar.UUCP>
Organization: U of Maryland, Computer Science Dept., College Park, MD
Lines: 22

}iOrganization: University of Maryland, Computer Science Dept.

In article <304@spar.UUCP> ellis@spar.UUCP (Michael Ellis) writes:
>>>    Individual subjective experience is by definition external to
>>>    the universe of science, since the scientific method involves
>>>    by definition phenomena that are verifiable by independent
>>>    observers.

>>Does this mean that the social sciences aren't sciences? - Paul Torek

>    No.

>    The social sciences tend to study the RESPONSES of large groups of
>    people statistically, in hopes of achieving repeatable results.
>    Note that objective effects are being observed, such as `how
>    did most subjects respond to a sequence of stimuli?'.

This statement is only true of behaviorist studies; other schools do indeed
concern themselves with observations of inner states, which by their very
nature must be subjective.

Charley Wingate   umcp-cs!mangoe