Thursday, July 21, 2011

Is there a name for the study of everyday actions (i.e., not the mental process that produce actions)?

Is that what sociology is? I am not talking about interactions with other people mutually exclusively. I mean every action...buying a pair of jeans is both economics and psychological...I know this. But, what I am talking about is a broad social science. So broad that it covers soc, econ, and psyhc. It seems the three sciences, though entirely different in their studies (economics, to sum up, is supply and demand, soc is human interactions and psych is mental process) What I am asking about is a science that studies the combination of markets, human interactions and mental processes. It seems as if the three branched together could be a single science. Maybe the most important science. While it seems necessary to have 3 seperate sciences, they answer questions quite differently...economics will say poverty of a person, or an entire counrtry, is bases on lack of productitvity. Strictly speaking, economics ties economic outcomes, both on the micro and macro scale, on produtivity. Sociology, will tie poverty to the "system:. In some theories, they will say poverty is necessary. Whether you agree with it or not, conflict theory basically states this. Psychologically, they will say economic activity is built upon the desire to fulfill some need...maybe it physiological (food), psychological (peace of mind). Either way, these three sciences seem different in their approach of basic everyday actions. What I am asking, then, is is there a science that combines all three. Of course, it would be difficult...conflict theory difinatelly contrast with economic theories of supply and demand, MRP (the demand for labor), and the basic theory of elastisity, among others. It seems one would have to dig deep to reconcile the many differences. But, it is all important to have a study, all be it broad, of social sciences. Of course, there are more then 3 social sciences, but these 3 are, to me, the most interesting and could promote the most progress...if we understood the realities of each. Because, after all, they are all sciences. And while sciences is, at times, based on theory, observation and facts should dictate our finding of the social life, i.e., reality.

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