As an introduction to social science and its methods, this book is useful to the student, teacher, professional social scientist, and general reader. Part 1 introduces the system of scientific inquiry and shows how social science fits into that system. The structure of scientific beliefs, the disciplines of social science, and the relationships of values to social science are some of the topics discussed. In part 2, some of the widely used social science methods are described in the context of each of the major disciplines. Part 3 discusses specific uses of social science (in social work, planning and education), particularly in regard to scientific problems of prediction and control. Part 4 is devoted to placing social science into a humanistic frame of reference. Appendix A, How to Find It in the Social Sciences, is a cross-tabulated listing of reference sources, most of which are annotated. A Working Definition of Behavioral Science comprises Appendix B. (Author/JLB)