Essai IEP :

* When we used the expression economics and social sciences, a parallel can be drawn with the physical sciences: what is similar and what are the differences?

* On the first hand, we will see what is similar between the economics and social sciences and the physical sciences. The scientific revolution, which occurred in 1550, was an advancement in knowledge in the physical sciences. In fact, scientists as Galileo, Descartes, and Vesalius used a scientific method based on the empirism reasoning. It means that they used a quantative method. First, they have some assumptions. Then, they test and experiment them. To finish, they refute them. They are called skeptical scientists because they are convinced that there is no absolute truth. As a matter of fact, nowadays, economics use same methods. For instance, economics use deductive methods like the statistics or inductive methods in order to legitimate their believes.

* On the other hand, we will see the differences between the economics and social sciences and the physical sciences. In fact, the main point to understand is the following: physical sciences and social sciences do not work on the same object of study, on the same reference. For example, physical sciences are focalized on the atoms, a static object, whereas social sciences are working on the human behavior. From this, we can distinguish two kinds of differences. First, there are some consequences on the experimentation: the fact that economic sciences are focalized on human reality, which constantly evolve, render the experimentation pretty hard. Second point, last but not least, there are some consequences on the accuracy of the results: social sciences are not really stables. For instance, repeat an experimentation twice does not assure the same result, whereas a physical experimentation does.

* To conclude, social sciences and physical sciences are both using same methods of working in order to go