Theory of Knowledge - Course Companion for Students Marija Uzunova Dang Arvin Singh Uzunov Dang
But an even bigger danger wouldcredentials.to throw our hands up in defeat.bewould also be dangerous to disregard theItof mathematical reasoning and clearlybenefitsbalance needs to be struck in the humanaRomer states the following.sciences.other side of the discussion should notTheneglected. There are disciplines suchbeeconophysics and social physics thatasblur the boundaries betweeneffectivelynatural and human sciences, usingthetools inspired by physics tomathematicaland explain human behaviourunderstandinteractions in crowds, markets andandcomplex social systems. The termotherwas introduced by H. Eugene“econophysics”following his observation that a veryStanley,number of papers on stock markets werelargeof Income & Wealth Distributions. HisEconophysicsnot a one-o example; the list of physics-trainedisthe arrival of “big data”, social scientistsWithhoping that analyses of huge marketarepowered by statistical tools anddatasets,learning, will reveal insights aboutmachinebehaviour. Whether these insightshumangeneralized into human laws remains tocanbeexample, financial economics has beenForparticular focus for quantitative researchaby physics, but behavioural economicsinspirednot. Some of the criticisms voiced byhasand Krugman allude to the fact thatRomermethods may have spread too far,quantitativequickly and without enough consideration,toomay well be a reflection of their success,whichfailure. It would also be a mistake tonoteconomics as too “mathy” or anythingdescribebecause, as we have seen, it is not aelsediscipline but a field consistingmonolithicvaried subdisciplines with considerableofof methodology.differencesI. ScopeI. ScopeCounter-claimA number of disciplines have wholeheartedlyembraced mathematical tools and applied modelsMaking connectionsfrom physics to economic problems.For example, the physicist Bikas ChakrabartiUnderstanding statistics as a laypersonThe opaqueness of the statistics behind knowledgehas applied the kinetic theory of gas to modelsof markets, and co-authored a book entitledclaims becomes an ethical issue when these claimsare made in law, health or other domains of humandecision-making with signicant consequences.Chapter 11 explores knowledge issues with the useeconomists is too long to provide here, and includesluminaries such as Jan Tinbergen, the rst everof statistics in section IV.recipient of the Nobel Prize in Economics, and widelyconsidered one of the most inuential economistsof the 20th century.If the participants in a discussion are committedto science, mathematical theory can encourage aunique clarity and precision in both reasoning andbe seen.communication. It would be a serious setback forour discipline if economists lose their commitmentto careful mathematical reasoning.(Romer 2015)written by physicists.211
I. Scopeidea of describing society using the lawsThephysics and biology is not new. Henri deof1803 book, Lettres d’un habitantSaint-Simon’sGenève à ses contemporains, did just that.destudent and collaborator wasSaint-Simon’sComte, the philosopher widelyAugusteas the founder of sociology, whoregardedsocial physics as “that science whichdefineditself with social phenomena,occupiesin the same light as astronomical,consideredchemical, and physiologicalphysical,that is to say as being subject to natural and invariable laws, the discovery of whichphenomena,Saint-Simon and Comte, it was statistician Adolphe Quetelet who, in 1835, wrote a bookAfterEssay on Social Physics: Man and the Development of his Faculties, which describes usingentitledprobability to model society. A commonly told (and possibly apocryphal) story hasmathematicalthat Comte invented the term “sociologie” (sociology) in response to Quetelet’s appropriation ofit20th-century researchers including the geographer Reino Ajo and astrophysicist John Q.Later,used gravity models to show the distribution of social interactions. There is also theStewart,model of trade, which builds a model of bilateral trading relations on the laws of gravity.gravitywould seem a curious proposition to equate the trading behaviour of people in differentItto the relationship between massive objects. However, the gravity model of trade iscountriesconsidered an empirical success, accurately predicting trade flows between countriesgenerallywe see that mathematics in the human sciences is neither a recent nor necessarily problematicSoBut in the past 20 years, a very large number of social science papers have usedinvention.mathematics. Contemporary academics have written books on the subject,physics-inspiredthe simply named Social Physics, by MIT professor Alex Pentland, and The Social Atom,includingare coming to realize that human“Weis determined as much by thebehaviourof our culture as by rational,patternsthinking. These patterns canindividualdescribed mathematically, and used tobeaccurate predictions.” (www.endor.makeassertion is that knowledge aboutPentland’sbehaviour can be used to describe,humanand predict phenomena. To what extentexplainyou agree? What are the strengths anddoof the different human sciencesweaknessesthis?towards8Box 8.1: Applying natural laws to human behaviouris the special object of its researches” (Comte quoted in Iggers 1959).the term “social physics”, because Comte did not agree with his statistics.for many goods andservices.by Mark Buchanan, editor of Nature magazine.For discussionKnowledge used to describe, explain or predictAlex Pentland, a professor at MIT, writes:com/social-physics)212
- Page 167 and 168: III. Methods and toolsdisasters are
- Page 169 and 170: IV. Ethicswe have an ethical respon
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- Page 177 and 178: II. Perspectivessection explores th
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- Page 183 and 184: II. Perspectives19th century reveal
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- Page 235 and 236: III. Methods and toolsMargaret Mead
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But an even bigger danger would
credentials.
to throw our hands up in defeat.
be
would also be dangerous to disregard the
It
of mathematical reasoning and clearly
benefits
balance needs to be struck in the human
a
Romer states the following.
sciences.
other side of the discussion should not
The
neglected. There are disciplines such
be
econophysics and social physics that
as
blur the boundaries between
effectively
natural and human sciences, using
the
tools inspired by physics to
mathematical
and explain human behaviour
understand
interactions in crowds, markets and
and
complex social systems. The term
other
was introduced by H. Eugene
“econophysics”
following his observation that a very
Stanley,
number of papers on stock markets were
large
of Income & Wealth Distributions. His
Econophysics
not a one-o example; the list of physics-trained
is
the arrival of “big data”, social scientists
With
hoping that analyses of huge market
are
powered by statistical tools and
datasets,
learning, will reveal insights about
machine
behaviour. Whether these insights
human
generalized into human laws remains to
canbe
example, financial economics has been
For
particular focus for quantitative research
a
by physics, but behavioural economics
inspired
not. Some of the criticisms voiced by
has
and Krugman allude to the fact that
Romer
methods may have spread too far,
quantitative
quickly and without enough consideration,
too
may well be a reflection of their success,
which
failure. It would also be a mistake to
not
economics as too “mathy” or anything
describe
because, as we have seen, it is not a
else
discipline but a field consisting
monolithic
varied subdisciplines with considerable
of
of methodology.
differences
I. Scope
I. Scope
Counter-claim
A number of disciplines have wholeheartedly
embraced mathematical tools and applied models
Making connections
from physics to economic problems.
For example, the physicist Bikas Chakrabarti
Understanding statistics as a layperson
The opaqueness of the statistics behind knowledge
has applied the kinetic theory of gas to models
of markets, and co-authored a book entitled
claims becomes an ethical issue when these claims
are made in law, health or other domains of human
decision-making with signicant consequences.
Chapter 11 explores knowledge issues with the use
economists is too long to provide here, and includes
luminaries such as Jan Tinbergen, the rst ever
of statistics in section IV.
recipient of the Nobel Prize in Economics, and widely
considered one of the most inuential economists
of the 20th century.
If the participants in a discussion are committed
to science, mathematical theory can encourage a
unique clarity and precision in both reasoning and
be seen.
communication. It would be a serious setback for
our discipline if economists lose their commitment
to careful mathematical reasoning.
(Romer 2015)
written by physicists.
211