S/P/81. Can the social sciences be value neutral?

The paper examines the nature and possibility of objectivity in the sciences; both natural and social. It has been argued that in order to be established as a truly scientific project the social sciences must also fulfil a commitment to objectivity. There is much scepticism as to whether disciplines like economics and sociology can consist entirely of the assertion of facts, and many argue that they are inevitably tainted by value judgements. In this essay, it is argued that the possibility of a value free social science is a highly unlikely one, but this is not necessarily a problem undermining the academic credence of it. Whilst values may necessarily pervade the social sciences, this does not inevitably mean that such studies are of no scientific interest and possess no objective measure, as the disciplines may yet remain value neutral, if not value free. Furthermore, the role of values in natural science is very ambiguous.