In recent years, the trajectory and application of the social sciences from “explicitly prescriptive to overtly descriptive” has been tremendously concerning to thoughtful scholars interested in the science’s application to human flourishing.
And in the movement for the renewal of Classical Christian Education, it has been suggested the social sciences be abandoned altogether for the superior worldview approach of studying the humanities (i.e., history, philosophy, literature, music, art, etc.) in a more integrated fashion. While the latter is certainly more valuable than a diploma from Behemoth University, there is still the question of whether or not the social sciences can be redeemed for the common good.
Dr. Robert Woods, a longtime classical Christian educator, seems to think so.
In a recent journal article, he argues that when the social sciences are properly focused “on cultural, institutional, and environmental factors,” they “have the potential to best assist with our self understanding” of our need for social order. Such a need for self-understanding in this area is vital when we consider the “human propensity for order is most assuredly reflective of the image of God humans bear.”
You can read the full article in the inaugural issue of The Consortium, a journal of classical Christian education.
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