Cecily Zamora
The term scientific law is typically associated with the natural sciences, but the social sciences also contain laws. Social scientific laws describe general trends or expected behaviours rather than being absolutes. For example, Zipf's Law is a law in the social sciences based on mathematical statistics. Another example is the law of supply and demand in economics, which states that the price of a market commodity increases or decreases with the ratio of demand to supply. However, there is debate about whether social laws truly exist, as they are often highly contingent on the structure of societies and may have many exceptions.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Nature of laws | Social scientific laws are empirical conclusions reached by the scientific method. |
| Language of laws | Social scientists use the language of laws less often than their counterparts in physics. |
| Predictive power | Social scientific laws generally have much less predictive power. |
| Flexibility | Social scientific laws are flexible and can have exceptions, be proven wrong, or evolve over time. |
| Examples | The law of supply and demand is the poster child of social scientific laws. Zipf's law is another example. |
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What You'll Learn
The law of supply and demand
The law of supply states that there is a positive relationship between pricing and supply. As the price of a good or service rises, suppliers will increase the amount they produce, as long as the revenue generated by each additional unit is greater than the cost of producing it. This is because higher prices give suppliers an incentive to supply more of the product, assuming their costs are not also increasing at the same rate. Conversely, lower prices may result in a cost squeeze that curbs supply.
The law of demand holds that demand for a product changes inversely to its price. Buyers have finite resources, so higher prices will reduce the quantity demanded as consumers' spending on a given product is limited. Demand rises as the product becomes more affordable.
The intersection of the supply and demand curves marks the equilibrium or market-clearing price at which demand equals supply. This represents the process of price discovery in the marketplace. The law of supply and demand predicts that if the supply of goods or services outstrips demand, prices will fall. Conversely, if demand exceeds supply, prices will rise.
The concept of supply and demand was alluded to by John Locke in his 1691 work, "Some Considerations on the Consequences of the Lowering of Interest and the Raising of the Value of Money". Locke wrote, "The price of any commodity rises or falls by the proportion of the number of buyers and sellers" and "that which regulates the price... [of goods] is nothing else but their quantity in proportion to [the] Vent". However, Locke did not accurately label this idea as "supply and demand", and it was John Law who later gave the concept its proper title.
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Zipf's Law
For example, Zipf's Law can be observed in social media networks, where a small number of users have a high number of followers or connections, while the majority of users have relatively few. This is known as the Pareto distribution, and it has been studied in the context of various social media platforms, including Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, Twitch, DLive, TikTok, Daily Motion, and Facebook. The research found strong evidence of a power-law relationship for each of these social networks, although the relationship did not hold for users with the highest number of connections.
While Zipf's Law provides interesting insights, it is important to note that it may not always hold true in all contexts. For instance, in the social media study mentioned earlier, the power-law relationship broke down for users with the highest number of connections. Additionally, the theories based on universal a priori notions that explain the scope of Zipf's Law have not been used to generate novel predictions, making it challenging to determine their validity.
In conclusion, Zipf's Law is a fascinating empirical regularity that occurs across various domains, including social media networks and linguistics. It describes a power-law distribution in ranked data, providing insights into the patterns that underlie human behaviour and language. However, it is essential to acknowledge the limitations of this law and continue investigating the underlying mechanisms that give rise to it.
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Social science laws are not 'lawlike'
The concept of "laws" within social sciences is a subject of debate. While social scientists sometimes use the language of laws, it is argued that these are not truly "lawlike" in nature.
A scientific law is traditionally associated with the natural sciences and is defined as a statement based on repeated experimental observations that describe or predict a range of phenomena. These laws are developed from data and can be further refined through mathematics, always based on empirical evidence. They are flexible and can evolve, be proven wrong, or have exceptions discovered over time.
The natural and physical sciences provide many examples of laws, such as the law of conservation of energy or the law that non-linked genes assort independently. These laws are universally accepted and consistently applicable under specific conditions.
In contrast, social science laws, such as the law of supply and demand in economics, are less universally accepted and may be considered more as general trends or expected behaviors. While the law of supply and demand suggests a causal relationship between price and the ratio of demand to supply, it does not have the same universality as natural science laws. For example, it may not account for external factors that influence pricing decisions beyond changes in supply and demand.
John Roberts argues that if social science laws exist, they are hedged laws, which are not considered true laws. The argument against the existence of social science laws suggests that these "laws" lack the universality, consistency, and empirical foundation that characterize scientific laws in the natural sciences.
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Social science is not a science
The term "scientific law" is traditionally associated with the natural sciences, and some argue that social science is not a science because it does not produce laws in the same way. Scientific laws are statements based on repeated experiments or observations that describe or predict a range of natural phenomena. They are causal relationships that are discovered rather than invented.
Social scientists sometimes use the language of laws, and there are examples of purported social science laws, such as the law of supply and demand. However, critics argue that these are not true laws because they are not universal generalisations and do not have the same predictive power as laws in the natural sciences. For example, John Roberts argues that if there are any social laws, they are "hedged laws", which are not very "law-like".
Richard Feynman, a physicist, famously stated that "social science is an example of a science which is not a science… They follow the forms… but they don’t get any laws." He acknowledged that social problems are much harder than scientific ones, and that social science may never fully succeed due to the enigmatic nature of its subject matter.
Proponents of the view that social science is not a science also point to the lack of tangible benefits produced by the field. Physics, chemistry, and biology have led to significant advancements such as new technologies, materials, and vaccines. In contrast, critics struggle to identify concrete outcomes from social science beyond "cool marketing tricks" and improved polling methods. This perceived lack of utility contributes to the perception that social science is inferior to other sciences.
However, defenders of social science argue that it is unfair to compare it directly to the natural sciences. Social science helps us understand the social world and protect us from bad social-science reasoning that is prevalent in society. While it may not yield tangible products, it can still do important work in pointing out biases and ideological assumptions inherent in all scientific endeavours.
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Social science laws are flexible
The term "scientific law" is traditionally associated with the natural sciences, but the social sciences also contain laws. However, social science laws are often considered less rigid than those of the natural sciences. This is because social science laws are often hedged, meaning they are not as "law-like" as natural science laws. For example, the law of supply and demand in economics is a fundamental principle, but it can be influenced by various factors and does not always hold true in all situations.
The flexibility of social science laws can be attributed to the complex and ever-changing nature of human society and behaviour. Social science laws are often based on observations and trends rather than absolute truths. They may describe general behaviours or patterns, but they are subject to change as society evolves and new information comes to light. For instance, Zipf's law in social science is based on mathematical statistics and describes expected behaviours rather than being absolutes.
Additionally, social science laws can be influenced by cultural and historical contexts, which may vary across different societies and time periods. This makes it challenging to establish universal laws that apply across all contexts. The laws of supply and demand, for instance, may be influenced by cultural norms, economic systems, and other factors that vary across societies.
Furthermore, the methods and approaches used in social sciences can differ from those in natural sciences. Social sciences often rely on qualitative data, interviews, surveys, and other forms of empirical evidence that can be more challenging to quantify and generalize than the data used in natural sciences. This can lead to more flexible and context-dependent laws in social sciences.
Despite the challenges and differences, social scientists continue to strive for laws that can explain and predict human behaviour and social phenomena. While these laws may be less absolute than those in natural sciences, they can still provide valuable insights and contribute to our understanding of the complex social world we inhabit. The very nature of social science laws encourages ongoing research, critical thinking, and the exploration of new ideas to refine and improve our understanding of social dynamics.
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Frequently asked questions
Scientific laws are statements based on repeated experiments or observations that describe or predict a range of natural phenomena. They are developed from data and can be further developed through mathematics.
The term "scientific law" is traditionally associated with natural sciences, but social sciences also contain laws. Social scientific laws may describe general trends or expected behaviours rather than being absolutes.
Yes, one example of a social scientific law is Zipf's law, which is based on mathematical statistics. Another example is the law of supply and demand, which says that the price of a market commodity increases or decreases with the ratio of demand to supply.
Yes, John Roberts argues that if there are any social laws, they are hedged laws, and since there are no hedged laws, there are no social laws. Richard Feynman also stated that social science is "an example of a science which is not a science" as it doesn't get any laws.
