1 RELIGION AND THE SOCIAL SCIENCES: HERMENEUTICAL REVIEW OF A RELATIONSHIP IKHIANOSIME, Francis Eshemomoh Department of Philosophy, Seminary of All Saints, Uhiele-Ekpoma, Edo State. franklmore@yahoo.com Abstract The task of this work is to offer an account of religion from the view of the social sciences. Religion is arguably an indispensable part of man. The society on the other hand, its understanding and interpretation is the function of the social sciences. However, both religion and the social sciences have different methodologies and parameters for evaluation and interpretation. While both have overlapping ends, it is difficult to superimpose one on the other. Thus, this work seeks to have an outsider's view of religion by way of an evaluation; the social sciences in this case, being the interrogator and interpreter. Keywords: Religion, social sciences, culture, man, society. Introduction For a long time, there has been the interface between religion and science. While it is thought that religion concerns itself about a supernatural being and man's worship of this being, science, arguably concerns itself with the principles and practice of the laws that govern events and phenomena in the physical world. Seemingly, they both appear to have different objectives. However, a closer introspection reveals the contrary. Both religion and science have their point-de-depart as man. This brings a strong commonality and interrelationship between both. Religion cannot exist without man and science would be meaningless without man. In the evolvement of these institutions and practices, science has been accused of being the new religion and religion accused of being the new science. Ward Harry draws this interrelationship in the following claims: Religion desires to release humanity from its ills and social science is continually discovering the means to this end. Religion seeks the solidarity of mankind and science is continually achieveing likemindedness among men concerning the manner of living. But social science lacks adequate motivation for its growing program. This religion alone can furnish as it intensifies and inversalizes social values, doing for the feelings what science does for the the reason. Likewise, religion is ineffective to make good will universal for lack of the guidance of social knowledge and of certainty as to genuine social values. Each then is importent to change mankind without the other; one of lack of technique and one for want of power. (Ward 477) Both religion and science are tied in an inescapable garment of mutuality. With this in perspective, it suffices for one to mirror the other and vice versa. Depending on how the materials are placed, religion can be examined from a scientific or social scientific perspective and science can similarly be viewed from a religious viewpoint. This work is concerned with the former. The intent of this work therefore is to interrogate the extent of relationship, conflict or confluence of one on the other, more precisely, of religion in the lens