Relativism is understood as all things are normally related in some way. Relativism helps us recognize how broader technological changes influence behavioral dynamics, economic decisions, policy making and social processes. For instance, we can understand that in most cases changes that happen in one system usually led to changes in another system. The principle of relativism encourages us to recognize that changes in any of these systems lead to changes in cybersecurity. One example of relativism is the healthcare system changing with technological advancements.

Objectivity refers to the way that scientists study topics in a value-free manner. Science does not exist to offer a point of view or opinion but instead it exists to advance knowledge. It is crucial for cybersecurity analysts to be able to determine objectivity in a social science perspective which can be challenging when dealing with complex concepts such as whether hackers should be punished or not.  A social scientist perspective is for their overall research not be determined based on the sole opinion of the topic.

Parsimony means that scientists should keep their levels of explanation as simple as possible. This can be challenging because typically from the social science perspective certain topics are not that easy to explain in a simple way. For instance, why do individuals commit cybercrimes? Social scientists strive to keep their research and explanations as simple as possible. Doing so ensures that others will understand certain explanations and test the explanations in future research.

Empiricism is when social scientists can only study behavior which is real to the senses. Empiricism relates to cyber security because we can’t and shouldn’t rely on opinions to frame our understanding of cyber crime and cyber security. Doing so would lead to incorrect conclusions and would have no value.

Ethical Neutrality refers to the fact that scientists must follow ethical principles when they conduct their research. Studying cybercrime through a social science perspective creates numerous opportunities for exploring ethical issues in the field. An example of a question in the cybersecurity field that would involve ethical neutrality would be “Does limiting internet access to certain communities reduce cybercrime?

Lastly, Determinism behavior is caused, determined, or influenced by preceding events. When involving determinism in cybersecurity from a social science perspective we recognize that there is a middle ground between free will and determinism. In a social science perspective, it is common to ask ourselves what causes individuals to choose to engage in certain behaviors. An example of question that would involve determinism related to cybersecurity would be: Why do individuals (choose to) commit internet fraud?