Babbie (2016) stated, social theory has to do with what is, not with what should be. For many centuries, however, social theory did not distinguish between these two orientations. Social philosophers liberally mixed their observations of what happened around them, their speculations about why, and their ideas about how things ought to be. Although modern social researchers may do the same from time to time, as scientists they focus on how things actually are and why (pg. 9).
If social researchers focus on how things actually are and why, why are we considering the information provided in the TedTalk, Battling Bad Science?
Discussion 2
What is inductive reasoning and why is it associated with qualitative research?
What is deductive reasoning and why is it associated with quantitative research?
And to move this discussion even further, what is abductive reasoning?