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26th out of 230 books
—
199 voters
The Social Construction of Reality: A Treatise in the Sociology of Knowledge
This book reformulates the sociologicalsubdiscipline known as the sociology of knowledge.Knowledge is presented as more than ideology, including aswell false consciousness, propaganda, science andart....more
Paperback, 1st edition, 240 pages
Published
July 11th 1967
by Anchor
(first published 1966)
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I like this:
This reminds me of a passage from Pedro Calderon de la Barca's Life is a Dream
...I am conscious of the world as consisting of multiple realities. As I move from one reality to another, I experience the transition as a kind of shock. This shock is to be understood as caused by the shift in attentiveness that the transition entails. Waking up from a dream illustrates this shift most simply (p. 21).
This reminds me of a passage from Pedro Calderon de la Barca's Life is a Dream
...more
Dreams are rough copies of the waking soul
Yet uncorrected of the higher Will,
So that men
This is quite an interesting book. Its main thesis is an attempt to tie together epistemology and sociology. TO SUMMARIZE: Thought is a social construct. Our ways of thinking are influenced by our ancestors and traditions. There's also Wittgenstein's baby - how language affects thought.
Of course, after watching both political conventions over the past two weeks, it is necessary to discuss the political role of this idea. One could see it being discussed by reformers/radicals, who want to change...more
Of course, after watching both political conventions over the past two weeks, it is necessary to discuss the political role of this idea. One could see it being discussed by reformers/radicals, who want to change...more
THE SOCIAL CONSTRUCTION OF REALITY is a broad attempt to justify sociology's then new found claim over knowledge and epistemology. The attempt was a mixed bag in my opinion, albeit more on the positive side then the negative.
First some things I didn't like about this approach. I didn't like how much it relied on phenomenology a basis for their theory that is far from being concrete or unassailable. I also have to say that if it wasn't a questionable idea their would be no reason to write this b...more
First some things I didn't like about this approach. I didn't like how much it relied on phenomenology a basis for their theory that is far from being concrete or unassailable. I also have to say that if it wasn't a questionable idea their would be no reason to write this b...more
The book begins with the defining statement of its thesis (page 1): "The basic contentions of the argument of this book are implicit in its title, namely, that reality is socially constructed. . . ." The essence of this: our understanding of what is "real" is something that comes from our living in a social world. That social world is a major part of defining what "reality" is.
The book is not necessarily an easy read. But the authors' argument is important and the reader will be rewarded by "to...more
The book is not necessarily an easy read. But the authors' argument is important and the reader will be rewarded by "to...more
Peter Berger and Thomas Luckmann define reality as “a phenomenon that we recognize as having a being independent of our own volition.” However, it is evident that humans themselves create their own form of realities and eventually have extreme belief that their realities are actually real. Then, how objective can our reality be if we cannot avoid bias?
Society is a human product. “Man’s relationship to his environment is characterized by world-openness.” Humans are species who are moldable within...more
Society is a human product. “Man’s relationship to his environment is characterized by world-openness.” Humans are species who are moldable within...more
I read this back in my junior year of high school along with several others by the author, but my mind comes back to it again and again. It is both an insightful and a readable exploration of how society builds plausibility structures and colors our perception of reality.
One of the first books that really opened my eyes to epistemology and the sociology of knowledge. A must-read for anyone who wants to understand the social construction of knowledge and reality.
Although often referred to with regard to the sociology of knowledge, but I have not thoroughly read it. I desire to give this attention at some point. Berger's The Sacred Canopy: Elements of a Sociological Theory of Religion(Doubleday/Anchor, 1967) is also of interest to me.
This was a rewarding read and an important book. I wouldn't recommend it to everyone, but if you are interested in the sociology of knowledge, you should start here. It's one of those game changing books. Here's a brief description of the book from Wikipedia:
"The work introduced the term 'social construction' into the social sciences and was strongly influenced by the work of Alfred Schutz. The central concept of "The Social Construction of Reality" is that persons and groups interacting in a so...more
"The work introduced the term 'social construction' into the social sciences and was strongly influenced by the work of Alfred Schutz. The central concept of "The Social Construction of Reality" is that persons and groups interacting in a so...more
Apr 03, 2008
Bryon
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
people who like to base jump while eating a scorpion filled with pcp
it'll blow your brains to the back of this auditorium!
1 like · like · see review
Wow. The rumors are true. A damn fine piece of work.
Berger and Luckmann provide a theoretical sketch of how knowledge works in society – not theoretical knowledge, and not philosophical knowledge, but knowledge in general. They outline how humans are born into a particular world, characterized by their face-to-face interactions and their everyday conversations – these interactions and conversations are the “real world” to all of us. Although our reality is arbitrarily created by human interaction, it becomes very real in social institutions, part...more
Feb 05, 2012
Brandon
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Jeff Beebe
Recommended to Brandon by:
Dr. Jaye Houston
Shelves:
societal-mechanics,
owned-books
Its words are those of a stroke on a page, but filled with multifold thunderstorms as one is continuously assailed by thought. Thought of how the individual is placed into the context of society, of how subjective reality emerges and institutionalization, the origination process of the social institutions that one struggles to live in, especially those de novo. But the book is definitely worth the read insofar as it coerces individuals to rethink their places in society and the societal structur...more
May 07, 2010
Tyler
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Anyone
Recommended to Tyler by:
Various Reviews
Shelves:
non-fiction,
philosophy
Political thought since the Enlightenment has turned largely on an apparent opposition between society and the individual. From this has emerged a libertarian argument that society and social facts are actually meaningless notions. Philosophy has largely lost interest in the question with the advent of positivism, yet positivism is itself a contentious proposition.
The validity of the idea of “society” has been taken up in two books with maddeningly similar titles. The first, The Construction of...more
The validity of the idea of “society” has been taken up in two books with maddeningly similar titles. The first, The Construction of...more
1 like · like · see review
From what I understand, this is a central text of 20th Century sociology, and really the book that introduced social constructionism to the general public, which, of course, is one of the most abused and misunderstood and unfairly maligned and unreasonably exalted concepts of 20th Century thought in general.
And, for those of us who have come of intellectual age in an American scene permeated with social constructionism and its innumerable offshoots, it makes a lot of sense, in the same bluff way...more
And, for those of us who have come of intellectual age in an American scene permeated with social constructionism and its innumerable offshoots, it makes a lot of sense, in the same bluff way...more
Warning: This is a very dense book that is a slow read. Two pages at a time, pause, deep breath, take another stab at it. But if you have the patience to follow the logic, you will learn why humans are the only species capable of creating a reality that essentially denies them. With countless examples of "man's inhumanity to man" lurking about, this novel will help you understand the phenomenological processes that create that paradox.
I thought this book was going to be post-modern deconstructionism, the "there is no reality" garbage that Derrida and others have espoused...it actually had a lot of insightful points, though, about how institutional conceptions of what reality is are culturally formed...the authors explore how the external concepts of society are internalized by individuals, all in all good food for thought...
For a sociological treatise this book was a great read (hows that for a caveat?) Ostensibly based on the importance of every day life these guys don't spin off into theoretical outer space. So much of how we communicate, how we interact, and why people fight over the things they do were elucidated for me as I read this book. A real mind-opener.
saya mengenal buku dan nama peter berger dari tulisan-tulisan pater brouwer. menurutnya, inilah sosiolog yang fenomenologis. dan buku inilah yang mengenalkan saya dengan istilah-istilah seperti typification, pengecapan peran-peran sosial spt ayah, guru, ketua RT dsb itu.
dari buku ini lalu merembet ke sacred canopy dan the rumor of angel...
dari buku ini lalu merembet ke sacred canopy dan the rumor of angel...
Some highlights
"Η πραγματικότητα της καθημερινής ζωής σκιάζεται από το ημίφως των ονείρων μας"
"Οι ορισμοί της πραγματικότητας μπορεί να επιβάλλονται από την αστυνομία"
"Έτσι η βιογραφική ρήξη ταυτίζεται με ένα γνωστικό διαχωρισμό ανάμεσα στο σκότος και το φως" (για τις μεταστροφές)
"Δεν είναι πια αυτό που υποτίθεται ότι είναι. Παίζει το λεπρό - είναι γιος του θεού" (για την ανάδυση του "Ποιος είμαι;" στη διαδικασία κατασκευής αντι-ταυτότητας)
"Η πραγματικότητα της καθημερινής ζωής σκιάζεται από το ημίφως των ονείρων μας"
"Οι ορισμοί της πραγματικότητας μπορεί να επιβάλλονται από την αστυνομία"
"Έτσι η βιογραφική ρήξη ταυτίζεται με ένα γνωστικό διαχωρισμό ανάμεσα στο σκότος και το φως" (για τις μεταστροφές)
"Δεν είναι πια αυτό που υποτίθεται ότι είναι. Παίζει το λεπρό - είναι γιος του θεού" (για την ανάδυση του "Ποιος είμαι;" στη διαδικασία κατασκευής αντι-ταυτότητας)
A masterpiece. No one needs me to tell them how important this book is to sociology. Like a lot of theory, the language can sometimes be daunting because the wordy clarifications needed. Over all it is a fairly easy and quick read which I know I will return to again and again.
Nov 27, 2008
Katy
added it
I'm reading this for a class at school (like all the other books on my currently-reading shelf) and it is painful. I don't fully understand it until we have discussed it in class but it is full of ideas that I've never come across before and that change the way I think about knowledge and reality. The language is definitely from the 1960's though, apparently the only people who think about such things are men.
Update:
Almost finished with the class (almost as painful as the book) and the more we d...more
Update:
Almost finished with the class (almost as painful as the book) and the more we d...more
how do we construct reality and knowledge about reality? Berger answers this question in this book. every individual basically constitute one's own knowledge, but this knowledge is not individually constructed for it depends on the social life where one lives.
I don't know if I can even remember what this one was about. I did try to read it and gave up pretty quickly. Oh wait, this was the one with the most excellent wikipedia page that had the best quotes form the book and summarized all the major ideas from the book.
One of the most influential, mind-blowing, mind-f8ckin' books that I've ever read.
Read it and it'll change your entire way of seeing/hearing/tasting/feeling/smelling the world -
it'll truly warp your worldview/Weltanschauung...
Read it and it'll change your entire way of seeing/hearing/tasting/feeling/smelling the world -
it'll truly warp your worldview/Weltanschauung...
Significant text in the sociology of knowledge. Glad to have the opportunity to read this book when I was taking a course on the Sociology of Religion and the Sociology of Knowledge from Berger at Boston University.
Berger deconstructs basic Christian belief. At the very least, it is a read that will make one reevaluate his/her positions and come to conclusions based on one's own realizations, not what others have forced or said.
Yeah, so Constructionism is my area of academic expertise, any reader will have the way they look at the world altered by this one. Philosophically sound and complex ideas are expressed effortlessly.
READ SEP 2011
Good overview of the sociology of knowledge. A must read for anyone interested in leadership, team, or other group dynamics, and specifically, the creation and maintenance of social knowledge.
Best quotes, "other realities appear as finite provinces of meaning, enclaves within the paramount reality marked by circumscribed meanings and modes of experience" (p. 25); "the social stock of knowledge differentiates reality by degrees of familiarity" (p. 43); and "Socialization always takes...more
Good overview of the sociology of knowledge. A must read for anyone interested in leadership, team, or other group dynamics, and specifically, the creation and maintenance of social knowledge.
Best quotes, "other realities appear as finite provinces of meaning, enclaves within the paramount reality marked by circumscribed meanings and modes of experience" (p. 25); "the social stock of knowledge differentiates reality by degrees of familiarity" (p. 43); and "Socialization always takes...more
Berger isn't the easiest to read, but social constructionism changed my life. I recommend it to anyone who's intelligent enough to think of the world they live in from a different angle.
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Peter L. Berger is an internationally renowned sociologist, and the founder of Boston University's Institute on Culture, Religion, and World Affairs. He was born in Vienna and came to the U.S. in his late teens. He has a master's degree and a doctorate from the New School for Social Research in New York. After two years in the United States Army, he taught at the University of Georgia and the Univ...more
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May 30, 2008 10:30pm