Some of the key issues which arise in Social Sciences will be discussed in this course. These are : (1) What is ‘out there’ in the social universe? (2) What are the most fundamental properties of the social world? (3) What kind(s) of analysis of these properties is (are) possible and/
or appropriate ? (4) What are the natures of theory, law, and explanation ? (5) Problems of reductionism. (6) Problems of free will versus determinism, purposeful behaviour, interpretations of actions. (7) Philosophical issues specific to various Social Sciences, e.g., philosophical bases of various economic theories, or of theories of psychology, or issues regarding the assumptions concerning human nature made by various social science disciplines.
