Philosophy of Research (Social Sciences v Natural Sciences)

Summary

Dr. Gary Kerr, a social scientist at the University of Salford, reflects on his transition from a positivist scientific background in genetics and cell biology to his current qualitative research in sociology, focusing on science festivals. He discusses how his research paradigm shifted from viewing truth as an objective reality waiting to be discovered, to seeing knowledge as co-constructed through human interactions. By using ethnographic methods and semi-structured interviews, he seeks to understand the social dynamics of science festivals. Dr. Kerr concludes by noting the distinct challenges between science and social science PhDs.

Takeaways

• 🎓 Dr. Gary Kerr is a social scientist at the University of Salford.
• 🔍 Social science studies society, its functions, relationships, behaviors, and organization.
• 🧬 Dr. Kerr's first PhD was in genetics and cell biology, reflecting a shift in his academic focus.
• 🎭 His second PhD is in sociology, festival studies, and science communication, with a focus on science festivals.
• 🌐 As a 'recovering scientist,' Dr. Kerr's worldview has evolved from a positivist to a more constructivist perspective.
• 📊 Previously, he believed in an objective truth discovered through quantitative research.
• 📝 Now, as a social scientist, he sees truth as socially constructed through people's actions and thoughts.
• 🗣️ Dr. Kerr uses qualitative research methods, such as in-depth semi-structured interviews, to co-construct knowledge.
• 🌐 His research approach does not seek a generalizable truth but rather the meanings people construct.
• 🌍 Inspired by ethnography, Dr. Kerr spends time with science festivals worldwide to understand them from an insider's perspective.
• 🤔 Dr. Kerr finds it difficult to compare the challenges of doing a PhD in sciences versus social sciences, as both present unique difficulties.

Q & A

What is social science according to Dr. Gary Kerr?

Social science is the study of society, focusing on how society functions, relationships in their broadest sense, human behavior, interactions, and how society organizes itself.

What is the main focus of social research as described by Dr. Kerr?

Social research is about understanding the social world, making sense of social hierarchies, interactions, and behaviors.

What is Dr. Kerr’s academic background?

Dr. Kerr has a PhD in genetics and cell biology, and a second PhD in sociology, with a focus on festival studies and science communication.

How does Dr. Kerr describe his transition from a natural scientist to a social scientist?

Dr. Kerr refers to himself as a 'recovering scientist,' meaning his research paradigm shifted from a positivist view (objective truth) in laboratory science to a social constructivist approach in social research.

What does Dr. Kerr mean by 'positivist' in his previous scientific work?

In his laboratory science work, 'positivist' refers to the belief that objective truth exists independently and can be discovered through quantitative methods, where the researcher stands apart from the research.

How does Dr. Kerr’s ontology and epistemology differ as a social scientist?

As a social scientist, Dr. Kerr's ontology suggests that reality is made through people’s actions and thoughts, and his epistemology holds that truth emerges through social interaction, rather than being an external, discoverable reality.

What research methods does Dr. Kerr use as a qualitative researcher?

Dr. Kerr uses in-depth, semi-structured interviews to generate data. He believes that knowledge is co-constructed with research participants, and the data can include feelings and interpretations.

What role does ethnography play in Dr. Kerr’s research?

Dr. Kerr’s research is inspired by ethnography, where he works closely with science festivals in various capacities. This insider perspective helps him better understand how science festivals function and operate.

Why does Dr. Kerr believe it’s important to study as an insider in his field?

Dr. Kerr believes that studying as an insider allows him to interpret his data more effectively, as he gains insights and understanding that an outsider may not have.

Does Dr. Kerr think it is easier to do a PhD in the sciences or social sciences?

Dr. Kerr does not believe one is easier than the other, noting that both fields offer their own set of challenges and are not easily comparable.

Outlines

00:00

🧑‍🔬 From Genetics to Social Science

Dr. Gary Kerr introduces himself as a social scientist at the University of Salford. He explains that social science involves studying society, human behavior, and interactions. Dr. Kerr shares his academic journey, starting with a PhD in genetics and cell biology, and then transitioning to sociology and science communication with a focus on science festivals. He reflects on his shift from a positivist worldview as a laboratory scientist to a more interpretive approach as a social scientist, where he believes that truth is socially constructed through people's actions and thoughts. Dr. Kerr emphasizes the qualitative nature of his current research, which involves interviewing people and co-constructing knowledge with his research participants.

Keywords

💡Social Science

Social science is the study of society, focusing on how it functions, human relationships, behaviors, and interactions. In the video, Dr. Gary Kerr explains that social science is concerned with understanding the social world, including how people organize themselves within social hierarchies and interact with one another.

💡Research Paradigm

A research paradigm refers to a set of beliefs and methods that guide how research is conducted. Dr. Kerr contrasts his original research paradigm in genetics and cell biology, which was positivist and objective, with his current paradigm as a social scientist, where knowledge is co-constructed with research participants and truth emerges through human interactions.

💡Positivism

Positivism is a worldview that holds that truth and reality exist independently and can be discovered through observation and scientific methods. In the script, Dr. Kerr describes his former approach to research, where he viewed the truth as something that could be objectively measured and discovered in a lab, particularly through quantitative research.

💡Ontology

Ontology is the philosophical study of the nature of reality. In the context of the video, Dr. Kerr explains how his ontology shifted from a positivist view of reality as something objective and discoverable to a belief that social reality is made real through people's thoughts and actions in social interactions.

💡Epistemology

Epistemology refers to the theory of knowledge and how we come to understand reality. Dr. Kerr contrasts his earlier scientific epistemology, where knowledge was gained through objective observation, with his current approach in social science, where knowledge is socially constructed by both the researcher and participants through qualitative methods.

💡Qualitative Research

Qualitative research is a method of inquiry that focuses on understanding people's experiences and perspectives. Dr. Kerr, as a social scientist, uses qualitative research, particularly in-depth semi-structured interviews, to gather rich, subjective data. This method contrasts with his earlier quantitative research approach in genetics.

💡Science Communication

Science communication is the practice of informing and engaging the public with scientific knowledge. Dr. Kerr specializes in researching science communication, particularly within the context of science festivals. This field involves studying how science is presented and perceived by different audiences.

💡Ethnography

Ethnography is a qualitative research method that involves immersing oneself in a community or organization to study its culture and practices. Dr. Kerr applies ethnographic principles to his research on science festivals, studying them from an insider's perspective to understand how they operate and function in various contexts.

💡Social Constructionism

Social constructionism is the theory that knowledge and reality are created through social interactions and cultural practices. Dr. Kerr adopts this perspective in his social research, arguing that truth is not something external but emerges through people's interactions and the meanings they create together.

💡Science Festivals

Science festivals are public events that celebrate and promote science, often featuring interactive exhibits, talks, and demonstrations. Dr. Kerr researches science festivals as part of his work in science communication, exploring how these festivals function as spaces for public engagement with science and how they communicate scientific ideas to diverse audiences.

Highlights

Dr. Gary Kerr is a social scientist at the University of Salford.

Social science studies society, its functions, relationships, human behavior, and organization.

Dr. Kerr's first PhD was in genetics and cell biology.

His second PhD is in sociology, festival studies, and science communication.

Dr. Kerr's research focuses on science festivals.

He describes himself as a 'recovering scientist', indicating a shift in his research paradigm.

As a laboratory scientist, Dr. Kerr had a positivist worldview.

In his current role, Dr. Kerr's ontology and epistemology are distinctly different from his positivist past.

The world is made real through people's actions and thoughts, according to Dr. Kerr's current view.

Truth emerges rather than existing in a discoverable form, as per Dr. Kerr's qualitative research approach.

Dr. Kerr generates data through in-depth, semi-structured interviews.

His role as a researcher is to co-construct knowledge with research participants.

Knowledge is socially constructed in Dr. Kerr's research.

Dr. Kerr's research is inspired by ethnographic principles.

He spends time working with science festivals worldwide to understand their inner workings.

Being an insider allows Dr. Kerr to understand and interpret data differently.

Dr. Kerr finds it difficult to compare the challenges of doing a PhD in sciences versus social sciences.

Both sciences present unique challenges, according to Dr. Kerr.

Transcripts

hello my name is dr. Gary Kerr and I'm a

social scientist here at the University

of Salford social science is the study

of society how society functions

relationships in their broadest sense

human behavior interactions and how

society organizes itself social research

is about understanding the social world

in which we live and making sense of our

social hierarchies interactions and

behaviors but my background hasn't

always been as a social scientist my

first PhD was in genetics and cell

biology and now my second PhD is in the

sociology festival studies and science

communication specifically I research

science festivals so when people ask me

if I'm a scientist I usually respond by

saying that I'm a recovering scientist

and what I mean by that is that my view

of the world or my research paradigm the

set of beliefs that my research has

shifted from a positivist view of the

world when I was a laboratory scientist

my worldview was positivist or

Objectivist were my worldview was a the

ultimate truth is just out there sitting

waiting to be discovered

in the labs truth is discovered by

quantitative research using a calculator

where the role of the researcher is to

observe record and analyze data the

researcher stands apart from the

research and uses a systematic set of

methods to try and disprove a hypothesis

however as a social scientist my

ontology that is the nature of social

reality and my epidemiology how we know

the reality could not be more different

from my previous positivist outlook for

me now my worldview as a social

researcher is that the world is made

real through people's actions through

people's thoughts and that the truth

emerges and does not exist in some

external and readily discoverable form

I'm a qualitative researcher so I

generate my data by interviewing people

using in-depth semi-structured

interviews my role as a researcher is to

co construct knowledge using the data I

collect from my research participants in

this sense knowledge is something that's

socially constructed by the research

participants and by myself of course my

approach does not presume that there's a

generalizable truth about reality but

the aim is to identify the meaning

people construct as they interact and

data may also include feelings and

interpretations of what subjects reveal

my research is also inspired by the

principles of ethnography so I spent

quite a lot of time working with various

science festivals across the world in

various capacities this helps me

understand how science festivals

function and operate from the inside so

it's a really interesting place to be as

a researcher studying as an insider and

I wouldn't be able to understand and

interpret my data in the same way I

would if I were an outsider looking in

and asking these questions and finally

people always ask me is it easier to do

a PhD in the sciences or the social

sciences and to that I don't have an

answer

they're both different and provide their

own set of challenges

so they're not so comparable thank you