Scientific methods in social and humanitarian researches

Abstract

The article analyzes the importance of methods of scientific disciplines for the research methodology of social and humanitarian processes, and discusses interdependence of life and culture sciences in terms of the complexity theory. It emphasizes that cognition in a social human sphere is based on polyparadigmatic principles which provide both the necessary completeness of the cognitive process and cross-case analysis of the subject under inquiry taking into account specific characteristics of different explanatory models. Quantitative estimations and integral values in scientific methods of social and humanitarian studies provide an opportunity of modeling and predicting social processes and tendencies of political development. The article particularly focuses on the scientific tools for studying micro- and macro-politics in the framework of psychological theories of communication and forms of interaction among influential politicians in the complex multilevel political processes. The author comes to conclusion that an analytical set of research mechanisms based on the principles of naturalistic philosophy can be a basis for system analysis and models of interaction among the main antagonists, taking into account their basic resources and behavior tactics, which in its turn, lets us identify the most likely scenario of development of a situation in a certain time period and on a certain territory. System analysis of structural elements of the social community under inquiry or a certain event line will allow us identifying sources of disfunctionality and latent development of low-intensity conflicts which can involve escalation of confrontation among political actors at the micro and macro levels, which can break down stability, integrity and dynamic equilibrium of the system. The article considers contemporary importance of transformative technologies and engineering capabilities of social theories as a functional problem of the scientific discourse.