Simply Philosophy

Sociology

  • Simply Philosophy
  • Sociology
Sociology of knowledge is the study of social nature and social determination of various forms of knowledge, the mechanisms of its generation, distribution and function in society, lying at the intersection of sociology and philosophy. It is characterized by an expansive (in comparison with the epistemological) interpretation of the term “knowledge”: knowledge includes everything that is considered knowledge in society.

The origins of the sociology of knowledge go back to Marx‘s analysis of ideology. Within the framework of Western Marxism, this line was continued by G. Lucas, M. Horkheimer, G. Marcuse, and others.

E. Durkheim outlined the positivistic version of the sociology of knowledge, which later developed in the studies of the nature of the archaic consciousness (M. Moss, L. Levi-Bruhl, etc.). In the sociology of M. Weber, which relied on some neo-Kantian postulates, the sociology of knowledge includes the analysis of Protestant economic ethics, its role in the emergence of capitalism, as well as its general works on the sociology of religion. The constitution of the sociology of knowledge as a special philosophical and sociological discipline is associated with M. Sheler’s books “Forms of Knowledge and Society” (1926) and K.Manheim’s Ideology and Utopia (1929).

Drawing a distinction between real sociology and the sociology of culture, Scheler understood the sociology of knowledge as part of the sociology of culture. This discipline should show the links of knowledge with the social structure, and not only positive sciences but also everyday knowledge, myths, religion, metaphysics, are among the forms of knowledge included in the sociological analysis. Different forms of knowledge, according to Shelia, are related to the social basis in varying degrees, which is reflected both in their objectivity and in their social dynamics. Already in his early works, Mannheim proposed the task of restructuring epistemology on sociological grounds. He stressed the relational nature of human knowledge, i.e., the constant correlation of knowledge with the social structure, its inevitable “perspective”. In “Ideology and Utopia” he focused on the most socially-determined forms of knowledge – ideologies, utopias, liberal and conservative consciousness.

Branch in the 30-40s from the sociology of knowledge of the sociology of science, sociology of religion, sociology of culture and some other specific disciplines made its status problematic. The central idea of ​​the social determination of knowledge began to be criticized, accused of historicism and relativism. However, in the 70-80s it again began to arouse interest. This is due, first, to the emergence of some historically and sociologically oriented concepts in the postpositivist philosophy of science (T. Kun, M. Polanyi, P. Feyerabend, and others). These concepts allowed the supporters of the sociology of knowledge to more specifically and avoided gross sociology to represent the links of knowledge with the socio-cultural context (the works of M.Malkeai, D.Blura, B.Latura, S.Uolgar, representatives of the Starnberg group of sociologists who developed the concept of the finalization of science, P.). Secondly, within the framework of phenomenological philosophy and sociology the followers of A.Shuts (P.Berger, T.Lukman, etc.) put forward a new program of the sociology of knowledge, in which the central subject of analysis was not theoretical but everyday knowledge, and the traditional model of “social determinism” was replaced by the concept of “social construction of reality”.

  • Actions That Harm
  • Adaptation definition
  • Against Universals
  • An Argument for Moral Pluralism
  • Aristotle’s Statements Have No Contraries
  • Aristotle’s Combination and Truth
  • Aristotle’s Difference in Kind
  • Aristotle’s Difference in Names
  • Aristotle’s Finding Propositions
  • Aristotle’s Homonyms
  • Aristotle’s Identity
  • Aristotle’s Kinds of Propositions
  • Aristotle’s Naming and Accidents
  • Aristotle’s Presence of Contraries
  • Aristotle’s Privation and Possession
  • Aristotle’s Propositions Divided by Content
  • Aristotle’s Synonyms
  • Aristotle’s Ten Kinds of Names
  • Aristotle’s Transitive Predication
  • Aristotle’s Universals vs. Particulars
  • Aristotle’s Where to Find Differences
  • Aristotle’s Where to Find Similarities
  • Authority definition
  • Benefits of Studying Philosophy
  • Copyright a Practical Example
  • Credentials
  • Distributing Political Power
  • Dividing Aristotle’s Dialectic
  • Doubts about the human
  • Fallacies of Language
  • Freedom of Association
  • Freedom of the Will
  • Gender Roles and Starting Points
  • Goodness: Intrinsic and Instrumental
  • Gossip
  • Government and Power
  • Happiness and Mistaken Judgment
  • Hume’s Rejection of Substance Theory
  • Ideology and the Modern University
  • Intelligent Design Theory
  • Is Government Good?
  • Is the Conservative Government Immoral?
  • Obama is Unqualified
  • Objectivity and CNN on Harakat-ul-Mujahedeen
  • Ownership as a Moral Right
  • Permitting Deception
  • Philosophy and the Search for Wisdom
  • Problems of Free Speech in the Modern University
  • Recognition and Concept Formation
  • Representation
  • Spot the Mistake: The Value of Human Lives
  • Students and Universities
  • The Academy
  • The Four Purposes of the Modern University
  • The Place of Education
  • The Problem of Modern Universities
  • The Science of Sociology
  • Thoughts
  • Universities as Credentialing Institutions
  • Who am I?

Philosophy Topics

  • Epistemology (88)
  • Ethics (89)
  • Metaphysics (34)
  • Philosophy of Culture (33)
  • Philosophy of History (45)
  • Philosophy of Logic (36)
  • Philosophy of Mathematics (3)
  • Philosophy of Psychology (22)
  • Philosophy of Religion (36)
  • Philosophy of Science (37)
  • Political Philosophy (41)
  • Sociology (60)
  • Value Theory (4)

TOP-10 Philosophy Studies

  • Aristotle's Four Causes
  • Reasons to Restrict Free Speech
  • Aristotle's Matter and Form
  • The Importance of Aristotle
  • Aristotle's Substance Theory
  • Trust in Speech
  • Freedom's Importance
  • Practical Knowledge
  • Theoretical Knowledge
  • Aristotle's Primary vs Secondary Substance

Aristotle

  • Aristotle Philosophy
  • Aristotle’s Categories
  • Aristotle’s Topics

Legal Terms

  • About Us
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact

Popular Topics

  • Philosophy of Psychology
  • Ethics
  • Epistemology
  • Metaphysics
  • Philosophy of History
  • Philosophy of Culture
  • Political Philosophy
  • Sociology
  • Philosophy of Science
  • Philosophy of Religion

New Philosophy Studies

  • Benefits of Studying Philosophy
  • Authority definition
  • Adaptation definition
  • Axiom definition
  • Authoritarianism definition
  • Doubts about the human
  • Existentialism definition
  • Virtue ethics definition
  • Categorical imperative definition
  • Augustinianism meaning

Critical Thinking online Knowledge Base.
Simply Philosophy
  • TOP Philosophers
  • American Philosophy
  • Asian Philosophy
  • Buddhist Philosophy
  • Eastern Philosophy
  • Greek Philosophy
  • Indian Philosophy
  • Western Philosophy