What are the differences between science and the humanities?
This was the question Dr Rachel Hendery began in today’s meeting.
“There are some pretty big differences in the data people are interested in,” Hendery explained. “Science often uses large and numeric data, while humanities are concerned on how these data affect human.”
“What are the differences between science and the humanities?”
The doctor continued that humanities tend to look at smaller data. They are also usually messy due to the fact humanities researchers aren’t trained to properly collect them.
Citing an example, Hendery revealed that her main research is in the language spoken in Palmerston Island. There are only 62 people living on the island, and therefore data recorded is very less when compared, to let’s say, a social network.
Analysing these data in a visualisation, Hendery was able to find out how each of the inhabitants spoke, and the people they most connected with.