Prof.
Konrad
Talmont-Kaminski
Society & Cognition Unit, University of Białystok, Białystok
Since at least the second half of the nineteenth century, a sharp distinction has been drawn between the natural sciences, such as physics, and the social sciences. It has been used to justify far reaching claims about the nature of humans and human society, as well as regarding the scope for explaining human nature. While sometimes tending towards obscurantism and mysticism, the distinction was justified in terms of the very different methods historically utilised by the social versus the natural sciences as well as by the obvious differences in the predictive power of their theories.
In my talk, I will discuss the underlying causes of this historical distinction that lie in the nature of the subject matter they attempt to grapple with as well as the recent developments within the social sciences that make it possible to engage with the investigation of human societies in a wholly more satisfactory manner. A key element of my argument will be played by the use of agent-based modelling to develop simulations of human communities to test multi-level representations of the interactions that underlie how those communities develop thanks to internal processes and react to external pressures. I will conclude that the distinction between the natural versus the social sciences had much to do with the historical context in which it was made and that it should become less glaring as the social sciences mature.
This is a hybrid event:
Room D, the Institute of Physics PAS, Al. Lotników 32/46
Online: Zoom Link, (Passcode: 134595, Meeting ID: 823 8038 0442)
