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My undergraduate degree is in physics. When I began studying sociology in graduate school I could not agree with my professors that what they were teaching was akin to the natural sciences. In mainstream sociology, theories and constructs are often given primary focus, whether or not they accurately describe or benefit humanity. These theories are free to be inaccurate, since the restraint imposed by the requirement of experimental proof is lacking in much of social science. Although we can and should employ scientific methods when they prove useful, we must embrace the fact that human beings are not exactly the same as the objects and phenomena studied by the natural sciences, and therefore our methods are necessarily in part non-scientific, involving subjectivity, and even empathy and compassion. We cannot isolate ourselves and expect to succeed in explaining or benefiting society.

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