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Outline on the Ways We Understand the World
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  See Also:   
  -  Epistemology
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Project:  The Common Sense Quiz 
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  Sociology is one way of understanding the world, which utilizes the methods of the social sciences  
  What are other ways of understanding?
What are some ways we understand the world/ our existence? 
 
 



















 

 
  a. Common Sense  
       Common Sense is the ability to see and act upon what is obvious  
      Common sense is great for some things, but in many other situation it is totally inadequate  
  b. Religion  
  - Many people understand the world through "traditional religions" 
  such as Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, etc.
- Many people understand the world through "non-traditional religions" such as 
  Paganism, Wiccan, etc. or any form of "personal spirituality" or philosophy
- Many people understand the world through superstition
 
  Review:  World Religions:  some have different ways of understanding  
  c. Tradition / authority:  We understand the world based on what others traditionally believe & on what others 'force' us to believe   
  d. Emotion  
  Aesthetics:  Understanding through poetry, literature, art, theater, etc.  
  Emotional Quotient:  Some people can sense their own / another's emotion in an extraordinary manner  
  Some people can sense the emotion of a large group of people  
  Religious ecstasy:  emotionally based religion  
  e. Science is the dominant approach to understanding reality in modern industrial societies   
  One of the major qualities of the modern age is understanding based on the modern invention of the scientific method  
  Many of the other methods of understanding utilize some aspects of science  
  See Also:   The Scientific Method
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  The Branches of Academe:  
  I.    Humanities  
  II.  Physical Sciences  
  III.  The Social Sciences  
        The Sociological Imagination  
  Common sense & science are very similar Science is simply more well reviewed than Common Sense  
  Common sense is "personal science"  
  Everyday we make our own hypothesis, tests, generalizations, etc.  
  Example:  Should I bring an umbrella today?
Scientific opinion:  yes:  90% chance of rain
--front coming in this afternoon
Common sense:   no:  it's clear; hasn't rained in 3 days
 
  Sociology uses the scientific method to develop understanding  
  Sociology is often viewed as common sense, but as we saw on ways of understanding, common sense is untested, & unverified  
  Sociology is tested & verified  
  To understand culture in everyday life, we usually use all of the methods of understanding above, except science  
  We utilize all the ways of understanding, our culture of understanding, which is composed of knowledge, Beliefs, Values, & Norms (KBVN) , but usually not science
I try to understand why the new neighbors from X do Z
 
  Our way of understanding' determines our actions or behavior  
  The ways of understanding our culture, which is composed of knowledge, Beliefs, Values, & Norms (KBVN) & the immediate situation creates our basis for our action: our Behavioral/Mental States of our Attitudes, Opinions, & Interests (AOI)  

The End
 
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