The Nature of Social Sciences

I had a cultural anthropology professor once said during the course that because of the nature of the science a scientist had to be or try to be honest. Objectivity cannot be obtained because you are interacting with people and they could influence you and you them.

Thinking back on what he said I believe that’s a noble goal. That goal should be applied to all social sciences (economics, psychology, sociology, etc.) because they all deal with the study of people hence the word “social.” Actually, it could really be applied to all sciences for that matter especially in matters of ambiguity. If a scientist is puzzled about a particular phenonomena he/she should say so. He should say he has no clear answer but does have theories or beliefs about it (if he does have one)—not facts if there are no facts. This is the least he can do.