Lecture on Social Constructionism

Introduction

• Key Question: What makes something real?
• Main Idea: Many aspects of our world are constructs shaped by social agreements and perceptions.

Concept of Social Constructionism

• Theory: Knowledge and many aspects of the world are not inherently real; they exist due to social agreements.
• Examples:
  • Nations: Groups sharing language or history.
  • Books: Paper with scribbles.
  • Money: Pieces of paper and metal without intrinsic value.

The Self as a Social Construct

• Identity is shaped by interactions with others and societal expectations.

Types of Social Constructionism

Weak Social Constructionism

• Dependent on Brute Facts: Basic, fundamental facts that do not rely on other facts.
• Example:
  • Computer screen explained by subatomic particles, which are not brute facts.
  • Brute facts describe the underlying principles that explain these elements.
• Institutional Facts: Created by social conventions and reliant on other facts.
  • Example: Value of money based on social agreement about paper.

Strong Social Constructionism

• Key Idea: Entire reality depends on language and social habits.
• Belief: All knowledge is a social construct, no brute facts exist.
  • Example: Concept of quarks is a creation of human thought and does not inherently exist.

Criticisms of Social Constructionism

• Main Criticism: Does not account for the impact of natural phenomena on society.
• Issue with Strong Social Constructionism: Difficult to explain natural phenomena not dependent on human actions or thoughts.
• Challenge: Strong social constructionism explains reality purely via human thoughts, omitting fundamental brute facts.