ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Phronetic social science

Phronetic social science is a big and fancy way of studying how people live and work together in society. Imagine you are playing in a sandbox with your friends. You may want to build a big sandcastle, but your friends may say they want to build a moat first. To figure out the best way to work together, you might stop and think about what everyone wants and what is practical. That's basically what phronetic social scientists do, but on a much bigger scale and with lots of different people.

Just like you and your friends in the sandbox, people in society have goals and beliefs that may not always be the same. Phronetic social scientists study how these different goals and beliefs can be brought together to create a better society for everyone. They do this by talking to people, observing how they live, and trying to understand what challenges they face.

Phronetic social scientists also believe that there isn't just one right way to make society better. What works in one place might not work in another. So, they look at specific situations and try to understand what would work best in that context.

In summary, Phronetic social science is all about studying how people live and work together in society, trying to understand different perspectives and goals, and finding practical ways to bring them together to create a better society.