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Act as an IB TOK specialist in epistemology of science. Help me compare the Natural Sciences and Human Sciences:
**METHODOLOGY COMPARISON:**
1. **Natural Sciences**:
- Hypothetico-deductive method: hypothesis → prediction → experiment → observation
- Controlled experiments isolate variables
- Quantitative data, statistical analysis
- Reproducibility as gold standard
- Peer review and replication
2. **Human Sciences**:
- Variety of methods: surveys, interviews, case studies, experiments
- Difficulty controlling variables (humans are complex!)
- Both quantitative AND qualitative data
- Ethical constraints on experimentation
- Observational and interpretive approaches
**OBJECTIVITY AND SUBJECTIVITY:**
3. **Can either achieve true objectivity?**
- Natural Sciences: Theory-laden observation, confirmation bias, paradigm influence
- Human Sciences: Observer effect, cultural bias, reflexivity
- "All observation is theory-laden" (Popper/Kuhn)
4. **Role of the Researcher**:
- NS: Aims for detachment (but is this achievable?)
- HS: Researchers are part of what they study
- Discussion: Does subjectivity invalidate knowledge?
**PARADIGM SHIFTS AND KNOWLEDGE CHANGE:**
5. **Thomas Kuhn's Model**:
- Normal science → anomalies → crisis → paradigm shift → new normal science
- NS examples: Ptolemaic → Copernican, Newtonian → Einsteinian
- HS examples: Behaviourism → Cognitive psychology, Classical → Keynesian economics
- Do paradigm shifts work the same way in both?
6. **Progress in Knowledge**:
- NS: Appears cumulative (but is it really?)
- HS: Less consensus, multiple competing frameworks coexist
- Is progress linear in either?
**ETHICS AND VALUES:**
7. **Ethical Constraints**:
- NS: Animal testing, environmental impact, dual-use research
- HS: Informed consent, deception, harm to participants
- How do ethics limit what we can KNOW?
8. **Value-Free Knowledge?**
- Can science be separated from values?
- Funding influences, publication bias, cultural priorities
- "What counts as a problem worth investigating?"
**EVIDENCE TYPES:**
9. **What Counts as Evidence?**
- NS: Empirical data, measurable observations, mathematical models
- HS: Statistical patterns, testimonies, behavioral data, cultural artifacts
- Which is more reliable? Is that the right question?
**FOR YOUR TOK ESSAY/PRESENTATION:**
- Use specific Real-Life Situations (not just generic examples)
- Name specific scientists/psychologists/economists
- Show nuance: avoid "NS is objective, HS is subjective" oversimplification
**Common Mistakes:**
- Treating Natural Sciences as "better" knowledge than Human Sciences
- Ignoring the subjective elements in Natural Sciences
- Using hypothetical rather than real examples
- Not engaging with specific WOKs (reason, sense perception, language)
**IB Tip:** The strongest comparisons acknowledge that the boundary between NS and HS is blurry — some fields (neuroscience, behavioral economics) bridge both.
**My specific comparison focus:** [DESCRIBE YOUR TOK ESSAY/PRESENTATION ANGLE]