THE SOCIAL SCIENCES AND THE SCIENTIFIC STUDY OF SOCIETY: THE FACT - VALUE DICHOTOMY DEBATE REVISITED

ne major question which confronts students and scholars in the social sciences is whether facts and values can be separated in their researches. On the one hand, there are those who argue that with the use of some scientific tools, fact – value dichotomy is possible in the social sciences. On the other hand, others argue that in view of the subject matter of the social sciences, fact – value separation is impossible. This essay examines some of the arguments of these contending schools of thought, and an attempt is made to show that with the application of some instruments and techniques, systematic and objective inquiries can be conducted in the social sciences. It is acknowledged that it is unrealistic to expect the social sciences to be as exact and accurate as the natural sciences since both groups of disciplines have different subject matters. Furthermore, it is argued that the influence of personal values in research is not peculiar to the social sciences; the natural scientist is also influenced by his/her values.