Well, 'gravity' is a technical term defined within a theory--be it Newtonian or Einsteinian. This definition is not coming from the common sense, but the other way around: technical definitions percolate down to the commonsense.
The way the phenomenon of gravity is tested: by deriving (predicting) consequences with auxiliary hypotheses(or theories), then do empirical tests and compare.
That's not the case in social sciences: they pick an explanation(explanans) that only explains what is already picked(explananda).
Just pick up some facts, say, X, Y and Z. And postulate A to explain X, Y and Z. Then do all mumbo jumbo: statistics, surveys, questionnaire. That's not what theories in physics do: they explain/predict something(not from the set X,Y,Z) that is NOT already there.
Larry Laudan in his philosophy of science makes a distinction between confirming instances and positive instances. Social scientists just pick up positive instances(X,Y,Z), Natural sciences are on the look out for confirming instances(instances that are not of the type X, Y and Z).
Take a crude example from our ordinary experience: all swans are white. Go and look out for a white swan. That's a positive instance, not a confirming instance.
The way the phenomenon of gravity is tested: by deriving (predicting) consequences with auxiliary hypotheses(or theories), then do empirical tests and compare.
That's not the case in social sciences: they pick an explanation(explanans) that only explains what is already picked(explananda).
Just pick up some facts, say, X, Y and Z. And postulate A to explain X, Y and Z. Then do all mumbo jumbo: statistics, surveys, questionnaire. That's not what theories in physics do: they explain/predict something(not from the set X,Y,Z) that is NOT already there.
Larry Laudan in his philosophy of science makes a distinction between confirming instances and positive instances. Social scientists just pick up positive instances(X,Y,Z), Natural sciences are on the look out for confirming instances(instances that are not of the type X, Y and Z).
Take a crude example from our ordinary experience: all swans are white. Go and look out for a white swan. That's a positive instance, not a confirming instance.