HISTORIAS Manuel Espejo

About this Website

This website, currently under construction, features two distinct types of documents. Firstly, you will discover materials that, once transformed and organized, will come together to form a book entitled "Methodology of the Social Sciences." Secondly, the website houses a selection of stories that offer a literary and alternative exploration of the subjects covered in the aforementioned book.

Each of the texts presented here holds individual significance and meaning when viewed independently. However, they are all integral pieces of a larger puzzle where each element has its designated place. Those who follow the ongoing development of this website, a process that will extend over some time, will witness the gradual integration of a scientific work. Simultaneously, a parallel construction with a similar content focus will take shape, albeit with a distinct literary style.

"Historias" thus comprises two interlinked parts: one dedicated to scientific analysis and exploration, and another that adopts a literary approach, grounded in emotion and intuition. Both components serve as unique vantage points through which to comprehend the intricacies of human reality. These dual perspectives are not only valuable but also complementary.

Henceforth, I will refer specifically to the scientific and analytical texts featured on this website.

"Methodology of the Social Sciences" is poised to become a unique intellectual masterpiece, offering invaluable contributions and innovations to the realm of social sciences. Methodology, as a cornerstone, holds the key to any scientific or human endeavour, with the exception, perhaps, of routine and recreational activities. It's important to note that methodology doesn't always serve as the driving force behind human actions; in fact, human action often diverges from the path prescribed by methodology. Engaging in methodology entails thoughtful planning before execution. Achieving one's objectives doesn't necessarily demand more effort but rather smarter, more efficient work, approached from a different angle. While this principle may seem simple, it's not always the prevailing approach in daily life.

Typically, individuals tend to act first and then, through a process of trial and error, learn and adapt their behaviour based on the outcomes of their actions. However, there are numerous instances where people fail to learn from experience and consequently, do not alter their behaviour. This leads to divergent outcomes, with some individuals making progress toward their goals while others do not. Such is the nature of human behaviour.

This work will follow a logical and structured path. Although experimentation is not always feasible in the social sciences, I will rely on historical experiences as a substitute. My chosen methodology will be grounded in empirical experiences, involving the analysis of facts and history, offering an alternative approach to the scientific method.

Within the realm of social science, you'll encounter a multitude of theories and perspectives—a natural consequence of the clash of ideas that drives scientific progress. However, the proliferation of opinions in social science is not haphazard. Present-day social sciences often rest on a foundation of conceptual errors, misinterpretations of reality, methodological missteps, and various forms of inaccuracies. Moreover, intentional manipulation and distortion of data and information are regrettably common. This propensity for manipulating data and information in social science is a recurring issue. Many so-called scientific texts are ideological pamphlets that present a distorted and biased view of reality.

"Methodology of the Social Science" is designed to help readers navigate through this intricate web of complexities, which amounts to cognitive noise. Its primary aim is to empower readers with the ability to think critically—a skill that universities should prioritize teaching, rather than simply disseminating factual knowledge. This book is not a mere reference manual for any single discipline but rather a guide to uncovering the profound essence of the social sciences, revealing what lies beneath and between the lines of academic discourse.

"Methodology of the Social Science" will serve as your guide to unravelling the intricate intellectual framework that underpins the complexity of social systems. Imagine this book as a skyscraper compared to a structure built upon the foundation of masterful walls. While the latter might be sturdy, it lacks the technological innovation necessary to reach great heights. Similarly, intellectual constructions can take two forms: one built upon logical-intellectual structures, akin to the soaring frames of modern skyscrapers, and the other relying on countless historical examples, akin to bricks. A structure founded on master walls and bricks can be robust but lacks the potential for significant elevation. In contrast, an aerial, modern structure, based on beams, enjoys greater strength and height. Much like this, "Methodology of the Social Science" will stand tall with its deep foundation in material reality, a relational and systemic structure, and the historical examples (bricks) it presents. This intellectual construction aspires to reach considerable heights. This book isn't merely an arena for intellectual debates; it is an intellectual construction firmly grounded in empirical facts. Its dialectical approach aims to reconcile different viewpoints, seeking synthesis from various theses and antitheses. It will pay close attention to recurring historical patterns that can be generalized into trends, as opposed to laws, which are relatively uncommon in the social sciences. In essence, this book prioritizes analysis over erudition.

"Methodology of the Social Science" will employ a historical and economic lens to examine various aspects of humanity. While I won't delve into the subjects of genetics or individual experiences, my focus will be on history and economics. However, you can expect numerous references to subjects such as sociology, law, statistics, and more throughout the book.

This book places significant emphasis on the duality between the tangible world and the realm of ideas, or what I refer to as "ideospace." Ideospace is a term I've coined to describe the intangible realm of ideas. It is distinct from the factual world and is entirely a creation of the human mind. Ideospace lacks any material existence; it isn't a world of ideas in the Platonic sense, existing independently of individuals' brains. Instead, according to my definition, ideospace is a set of ideas that exists because there are material realities (human brains) supporting it. In this sense, ideospace advances beyond the Marxian concept of the superstructure, as it rests on material reality, much like the Marxian base. However, unlike the Marxian superstructure, ideospace possesses its own vitality and exerts an influence on material reality in ways not contemplated by Marx and his followers. Ideospace serves as an intellectual realm where boundless possibilities exist, and where the ongoing battle of ideas unfolds among individuals, groups, and intellectuals. There are no inherent limits to the world of ideas. While adjacent fields such as the history of philosophy, physical sciences, logical sciences, natural sciences, and social sciences have touched upon aspects of this ideospace concept, it remains underdeveloped. This book will place ideospace at the forefront of its content, as it forms the foundation upon which the “Methodology of the Social Science thesis” is built.

Moving from ideospace, the book delves into the notion of ideology, which, from an intellectual standpoint, receives a negative definition. Ideology represents a distortion of ideospace, typically aimed at distorting individuals' and groups' perceptions of physical, material, economic, or social realities. In essence, ideology tints people's perspectives, resulting in behavioral changes. Ideology is inherently unscientific; it is employed to obscure reality, veiling it behind a shroud. Ideology is a means of altering people's behaviour to align with the goals of the ideologues who create it. Underlying ideologies, following Marxian doctrines, there's often an economic motivation. However, it is not always the case that the economic base determines ideospace and, consequently, social ideology. Ideospace and ideology can, in certain circumstances, exist independently, giving rise to significant historical and social phenomena, such as religion, nationalism, and social movements. Nevertheless, ideology and manipulation are frequently intertwined. This book aims to equip readers with the ability to differentiate between information and ideology, manipulation and reality, and propaganda and science.

Contrary to the aspirations of idealistic philosophers, "Methodology of the Social Science" does not delve into metaphysical studies of reality but rather offers a pragmatic examination of social reality. It will guide readers towards the study of the science of history and its philosophy, language and its philosophy, economics, sociology, and other social sciences. The book treats history as a system, an approach outlined in my article addressing history as "Res Gestae" and history as a system. The philosophical materialism and scientific methodology viewpoints are adopted. When I mention philosophical materialism, it is in its abstract sense, separate from adherence to the philosophies of Marx or Gustavo Bueno, both of whom, among others, have defined their philosophies as philosophical materialism.

Economics assumes a central role in "Methodology of the Social Science" because comprehending social reality necessitates an understanding of how societies structure their social production. From an economic standpoint, this book commences with a Marxian analysis, although its conclusions diverge significantly from Marx's and Engels' viewpoints. The fundamental question this book seeks to address has intrigued economic science since its inception: Why do some societies thrive while others languish in poverty? What factors contribute to wealth creation and social stability, and conversely, what leads to impoverishment and hinders national development? While the initial analysis aligns with Marx's examination of society, including the exploration of the concepts of the base and superstructure, the answers to these questions position this work at the opposite pole of Marxism. "Methodology of the Social Science" will demonstrate that liberal policies foster prosperity, while interventionist policies, regardless of their nature, tend to generate more poverty than wealth.

Another crucial aspect of this work is the study of law. In Marxian terminology, law is considered part of the superstructure, representing a crystallization of the prevailing social relations within a society. Law and economics are intricately connected. An exploration of social science methodology demands an examination of how societies regulate themselves. Within the realm of legal analysis, particular attention will be given to the concept of the rule of law. In parallel, the study of law will be accompanied by an exploration of diverse political regimes and the theory of the state. "Methodology of the Social Science" adopts an institutionalist perspective on the economy, recognizing that there is no abstract economy detached from the form of social organization known as the state. In essence, understanding the economy necessitates an understanding of the state, just as comprehending the state is intertwined with its economic foundation.

Special attention must be given to the quantitative aspects of the social sciences. My studies in economics compelled me to engage with advanced courses in mathematics and related disciplines such as statistics, optimization, time series analysis, and econometrics. However, I must express my profound disappointment with the application of quantitative methods in the social sciences. The mathematics currently employed in the social sciences proves inadequate for describing social reality. To comprehensively understand social processes, an entirely new mathematics, complete with its corresponding notation, is essential. The existing mathematical frameworks, designed for the description of physical processes in our four-dimensional spacetime reality, fall short when applied to the complexities of social processes. Social phenomena are historically distinct and multidimensional, often governed by fuzzy logic, where the same cause can produce different effects on different occasions. In contrast to the physical and natural sciences, where experiments tend to yield similar outcomes due to the consistency of natural laws, the social sciences involve autonomous decision-makers (individuals) who are not bound by deterministic natural laws. People possess varying degrees of freedom in making decisions, and their responses to similar stimuli can differ widely. Moreover, each social phenomenon or individual operates within diverse dimensional scales and systemic contexts, interconnecting with other social phenomena and individuals in a neural fashion. This intricate web of interrelationships renders human behaviour inherently unpredictable. Additionally, social phenomena exhibit potentiality in the Aristotelian sense—they represent possibilities open to various social evolutions, each characterized by a degree of chaos and unpredictability.

The conventional mathematical models such as linear, exponential, or other equalities-based equations provide limited explanatory power when it comes to understanding social reality. Rarely does a social or historical function conform to the simple forms y = ax + b or y = ax^2 + b, etc. Attempting to explain phenomena as complex as the French Revolution using such mathematics is an exercise in futility. Even within the domains where classical mathematics is employed within the social sciences, its limitations become evident. These mathematical functions may hold social validity within a specific range, but they fail to encapsulate the entirety of social phenomena. These functions are deterministic, always producing the same graph regardless of the context, whereas social reality is anything but deterministic. In social mathematics, we should eliminate the "=" sign from most types of functions because social mathematics is almost inherently non-deterministic. Current mathematics falls short when it comes to describing social changes, particularly those triggered when critical points are reached. In some cases, social change completely upends established social norms, and such transformations cannot be described or predicted using current mathematical frameworks. A simple example from the natural sciences illustrates this point: water exists in three states—solid, liquid, and gaseous—each with distinct properties that manifest according to temperature. The natural laws governing these states are entirely different. Similarly, but in a far more intricate manner, social phenomena transition between states, giving rise to entirely distinct social laws—a phenomenon that current mathematics struggles to address. The transition from the French absolute monarchy to the revolutionary regime in 1789, for instance, bears resemblance to the transition between the states of water. Just as the characteristics of water, ice, and water vapor differ substantially, so too do the systems of absolute monarchy and the revolutionary regime of 1789 in France. The mathematics of the social sciences must draw from disciplines such as catastrophe theory, chaos theory, probability theory, general systems theory, graph theory, fuzzy logic, set theory, time series analysis, knot theory, and other mathematical frameworks. This new mathematics must synthesize and dialectically overcome each of these forms of knowledge. Traditional Cartesian, Newtonian, and Leibnizian mathematics, which have enabled remarkable achievements like space travel and complex technological innovations, prove inadequate for describing social processes. In conclusion, a completely new mathematics is imperative for the field of social science.

Lastly, "Methodology of the Social Science" is fundamentally centred on the individual. It rejects all social theories and political ideologies that prioritize groups over individuals, be they based on race, social class, religion, gender, nationality, or any other collective identity. The book's ideology, as defined earlier, can be classified as humanistic, and it vehemently opposes totalitarianism, racism, exclusionary ideologies, extractive elites, or any form of discrimination based on personal or social characteristics.

"Methodology of the Social Science" will primarily address the following subjects:

Quantitative data analysis.
Qualitative data analysis.
Comparative analysis.
Historical analysis.
Economic analysis.
Statistics and data interpretation.
Material world and ideospace.
Scientific method.
Philosophy of knowledge.
Truth and lies.
Philosophy of history.
Base and superstructure.
Social psychology.
Social mathematics (a new mathematics and a new notation of mathematics for social sciences).
Interpretation of historical facts.
Language and philosophy of language.
Mass media.
Political regimes.
Economic theory.
Growth and development of nations.
History of thought and philosophy.
Behavioural economics.
Philosophy of law.
Complexity.
Natural sciences applied to social sciences.
Granular structure of nature and the social sciences.
Concept of social consistency.
State theory.

This is the plan of the work that I begin here. I will appreciate the collaboration of anyone who wishes to intellectually contribute to this project. You can contact me by writing to manuelantonioespejoperez@gmail.com

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Thank you very much for your kind interest.