Free Essay: Human Science Versus History and Art in Understanding Human Behavior

The world is made from past and present experiences that are used in discerning and understanding reasons why people engage and interact in a specific way. There are different models that can be used to understand behavior but it is important to institute a workable structure that applies to most people in the society. In gaining knowledge on human behavior it is important to engage with the past on the specific subject, and assess the reactions and reflective aspects that were used historically. However, it is also important to understand the present and interact with most of the aspects that are affecting the people. For instance, there are differences between the challenges that may have faced economists during the Great Depression and the Great Recession in the U.S. Historical significance is important in understanding the models that need to be used by, and so is human science. Human science looks at engaging and understanding the activities and models that are used by human beings in the present as well as historical aspects. It does not disengage from history but uses different aspects of the present as well as the past to ensure that there is a deeper understanding and discerning of human behavior in the society. This paper aims at assessing the different aspects of human science and history and the arts and their contributions to gaining better knowledge about human behavior.

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History has been widely referenced while assessing the economic aspects and constructs that are used by economists and other professionals in the world. There are different references that can be drawn on the contribution of Marxist and classical theories that have been adhered to up to date. The level of capitalism and socialism that was rampant in the 19th and 20th century offer a strong view point of how historical references that can be used to discern human behavior and understand different controls and aspects that have been widely derived to date. The historical background therefore, forms a basis that the present economical concepts are used and based on through instituting the same models to the present aspects of economics (Rokeach, 2008). The US model of capitalism has been famed for its contributions and modelling that has been copied and used by other countries that have endured great economic success with the case of Europe being a good example. The Chinese model on the other hand, although slowly diminishing has also been a success and the socialism theories that were discovered and used in the past have been important in understanding this concepts. It is therefore, critical to note that economics is a changing model that cannot alienate itself from the past since it relies on the models that were used in the past to create an understanding of the present behavior.

The dynamic nature of economics, however, makes it difficult to use the past models to understand the present or future aspects. Although the basic principles and economic theories are from the past, the behavioral changes that can be derived are not in line with what was believed to be accurate in the past. For instance China a country that has been led through socialism as the main economic model is gradually changing into a capitalist nation. These changes could not have been discerned or the models that were used in the past could not have been used to make such analysis and changes in behavior among these populations. There are different models that are therefore, uniquely poised to change and overreliance in the past means that the changes cannot be derived or ascertained in the present world (Bell, 2011). Globalization is also an example of a behavioral change where one finds that the interactions and the number of multinational companies in the present day have overflown in comparison to the past. The models that were used in the past could not have foreseen such changes as such making history in this case redundant. The historical bearings that are used by the present society is critical in understanding some of the behaviors but the dynamism of economics means that history cannot catch up. One of the perfect examples is the level of devastation that was seen in the world after the recent Euro Crisis. The Great Recession started in Europe and spread to the US and then later all over the world. The level of devastation of the model that was a single aspect that changed the world was critical although it started in a single region. In comparison to the Great Depression that started in US but did not affect most of the countries all over the world, the Great Recession hit countries hard and would not have been ascertained. The behavioral patterns in this case were different and reliance on the past case where the Great Depression was contained after restructuring the economic models in the US the same case could not apply to the recent downturn (Bell, 2011). This was mainly because of globalization and the changes and level of interaction that has increased and developed in the present world.

Human sciences on the other hand, aims to assess and interpret the experiences, activities and constructs that are associated with human beings. This means that apart from assessing the social models and deriving important aspects such as economics it also assesses historical models and aspects. Human sciences uses the present and past aspects to understand different factors and gain knowledge on human beings (Becker, 2013). In the case of a Company such as Apple, the cost of production in the US is too high therefore, it produces its products in China. This has been as a result of globalization and companies realizing that the Chinese and Asian markets have cheap labor costs. In assessing human behavior it is therefore, expected that more companies will look to outsource their production to these countries a trend that is followed by many companies in the US. The cost function is also one of the aspects that has changed since the introduction of technology. Technology was a new phenomenon and while assessing the total cost of production companies or economists used to only consider capital and labor (Rokeach, 2008). Technology is however, one of the aspects that has changed in recent years making it an integral part in making the best decisive models that are critical in costs.

Human science helps in equating and assessing different aspects through understanding the activities that are taken by the people and how these activities affect the society. For instance electrical energy was discovered and generated through hydro, wind and other forms of energy. However, since the introduction of nuclear energy the level of energy has increased and large companies are increasingly establishing themselves in the society (Bell, 2011). The trend is deemed to continue since more companies are deemed to increase the level of production through using the increased energy in the grid. The shift of people from using the handsets to smartphones is also deemed to continue with more countries looking to embrace the technology. In comparison to the introduction of handsets all over the world, more handset companies were established a factor that is being witnessed with more companies establishing and producing smartphones.

After assessing the examples above it is clear that although there are aspects of the past that can be drawn from the models that are expected, the behavior is not similar. There is a need to understand that with the increase and changes that have been witnessed over the years, the past cannot look to influence the future (Becker, 2013). Before the US was liberated, Britain was their main enemy and yet they are now one of their best allies. In this regard, human behavior changes and assessing behavior from the past means that there are massive errors that can be sourced. Companies such as GM that were among the pioneers of the motor vehicle industry have had to adjust their models a lot of times to ensure that it meets the demand of the people in the society. There are differences that can therefore be sourced and the level of correlation and knowledge of human behavior is only possible if there are changes instituted (Zastrow and Kirst-Ashman, 2006). Whereas history has abundance in terms of the past aspect that may hold a similar aspect to the present, the behavioral changes do not match these aspects. It is crucial to understand that the link between the present and the past is vital in making a better understanding of human behavior (Becker, 2013). The USSR controlled many countries and yet in the present day it has become part of the EU that is controlled by a single body. This has changed the economic aspects of the country and the decisions made with their currency changing to the EURO. The UK is adamant that it cannot change its Sterling Pound but who is to say that after 50years the situation does not change. In fifty years the present will be history and the developments that will have been made will be massive but unless an informed based on the present will be done one will not be able to gain knowledge on human behavior.

In conclusion, the statement that Human Science gives us better knowledge about human behavior than history and the Arts is accurate. However, it is important to note that the two need to work in tandem to develop a proper structure of knowledge. Man did not start by building sky scrapers, but the sky scrapers in the present world have to rely on the past to develop the best models and understand behavior. The same case applies to economics, there needs to be an understanding of the past to understand the present. The Sterling Pound is the oldest currency and the refusal by British to adopt the EURO matches the level of history and importance of the currency.

References

Becker, G. S. (2013). The economic approach to human behavior. University of Chicago press.

Bell, W. (2011). Foundations of Futures Studies: Human Science for a New Era: Values, Objectivity, and the Good Society. Transaction Publishers.

Rokeach, M. (2008). Understanding human values. Simon and Schuster.

Zastrow, C., & Kirst-Ashman, K. (2006). Understanding human behavior and the social environment. Cengage Learning.