What can we learn from social science today?

The social sciences can help us gain insight into the lives of others and encourage us to examine our own lives. Depending on the particular field of study, the means of assessing society may be qualitative or quantitative, micro or macro, or even comparative.

Sociologists are interested in the ways humans organize themselves in society. They may focus on aspects of society like socioeconomic class, inequality, mobility, crime rates, and change over time. Sociology is primarily a quantitative science which looks at macro-level manifestations of human social behavior. From sociology, we can learn the effects of different patterns of organization in a society. One thing sociologists in the have found is that crime rates are proportional to poverty- when people are at a systemic disadvantage in life, they may be more likely to break social contract or engage in risky behavior to fulfill their needs.

Whereas sociology is quantitative, anthropology tends to be more qualitative. Anthropologists are interested in human culture, its diversity, its transmission, and its function as an adaptation to our environment. An anthropologist may study change in cultural patterns over time or compare different adaptations to similar events. For example, some anthropologists study how subsistence-farming societies around the world are adapting to climate change. Anthropology has many sub-fields of study, and linguistic anthropologists and archaeologists have helped to translate ancient scripts like Maya and cuneiform. Primatologists like Jane Goodall study apes and monkeys to better understand the evolutionary lineage of the human species.

Psychologists study the working of the brain and how this translates into emotions and behaviors. A psychologist may be interested in development throughout childhood or adolescence, how the brain adapts to trauma, or how language is acquired, among other things. Psychology is constantly advancing to help us better understand human thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. Over the past several decades, significant improvements have been made in the diagnosis and treatment of disorders like Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. A century ago, this condition was called "shell shock" and referred to the anxious or detached behaviors of soldiers who were returning from war. Today, we know that PTSD can occur in anyone who suffers trauma, and that the anxious patterns of behavior are adaptations to try and prevent further traumas. 

If you're considering studying a social science, you're in luck! There's lots to learn, and nearly anything you might be interested in can be studied.