Social Science: Issues and Ontology (Methodological Analysis)

The article presents a methodological analysis of the current state and fundamental problems of the social sciences and knowledge. The author notes a profound crisis experienced by social science (sociology and the entire complex of other social disciplines). This crisis is caused not only by external challenges—the transition from modernity to a new culture ("futures culture"), the disintegration of the world order, and global threats—but also by internal methodological contradictions. A key issue is the problem of demarcation between sociology and other social sciences (economics, political science, history, etc.), their subject boundaries and interconnections, which can be traced back to the debates of Durkheim and Tarde. As a central feature of the social approach, Rozin highlights its fundamental duality and practical orientation. On one hand, the social scientist always assesses phenomena with the aim of influencing them (from revolution to reform), while on the other hand, is forced to combine two methodological programs: the humanities (aimed at understanding meanings and interpretations) and natural sciences (focused on revealing objective laws and mechanisms). However, these are implemented only partially in social research. The object of study of social science is defined by the author as a complex, multidimensional, and “populational” (multiple) phenomenon. It includes three interconnected aspects: 1) cultural-historical social formations (in different regions and eras), 2) individual social phenomena and institutions (such as the state or donation), and 3) the emerging planetary social organism (global world systems, the Internet). The study of this object involves identifying not eternal laws, but historically and culturally determined social regularities that operate in specific contexts. As a result, the author proposes his own project for the methodology of social science, aimed at overcoming the crisis through the clear constitution of its approach and the complex, yet structured object of study, which is a relevant task in an era of radical social transformations.