A Simple Categorisation for Disciplines
A discipline can be categorised as follows:
- Descriptive: it describes events that have already happened.
- Predictive: it predicts events that have not yet happened.
- Normative: it suggests how to influence events.
A discipline can be a) only descriptive, or b) predictive and also descriptive, or c) normative and also descriptive. Therefore, a given discipline is capable, at least, of describing its object. If something is being called a discipline, but can't define its subject matter, it's not a discipline. However, it is sometimes the case that experts dispute what exactly constitutes the proper subject matter, which doesn't undermine this categorisation. Rather, it highlights their different views and contrast is a crucial element in the progress of human knowledge.
Scientific theories are both descriptive and predictive, an inaccurate theory is not a scientific theory at all. In contrast, normative theories are not scientifically predictive, they are only loosely predictive. These constitute the humanities, for example social disciplines. For these kind of disciplines it's not possible to exactly predict events given a set of circumstances: it's not possible to conduct scientific experiments like the ones science conducts in a controlled environment with the same metrics every time.
In the humanities time matters and a state can't be replicated in another time period simply because the present state is affected by the previous one in some way. These disciplines elaborate non-scientific descriptive theories, with a strong propensity for normativity.
Typically, events are understood based on a) the main framework of the historical period and b) the goal that a specific group wants to achieve. The same experts who support the framework then suggest actions to influence events in order to reach the desired end state. The outcome can be successful or not, but either way, a new state is created and the cycle continues. The framework used to understand the new state can be the same as before or it can be a new one. In the latter case, it's often a response to or a modification of the previous one. This happens often in literature, history and psychology, for example.
Due to the interdependence of frameworks, the study of these types of disciplines benefits from an historical and logical approach, but only formally and not ontologically.
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