Sociology of Knowledge

The sociology of knowledge studies the social conditioning of thought — how knowledge, beliefs, and ideas are shaped by social position and context.

Scope

It covers ideology, the social determination of ideas, the social construction of reality, and the relation between knowledge and social structure.

Core questions

• How is knowledge shaped by social position?
• What is the relation between ideas and social interests?
• How is everyday reality socially constructed?
• How do worldviews arise and change?
• How does social context condition what counts as knowledge?

Key concepts

• Ideology
• Social construction of reality
• Relativism
• Worldview
• Institutionalization
• Legitimation

Key theories

Ideology and the social determination of knowledge

Mannheim analysed how social position shapes thought, distinguishing ideology from utopia.

The social construction of reality

Berger and Luckmann argued everyday reality is socially constructed through habitualization, institutionalization, and legitimation.

History

Rooted in Marx's notion of ideology and Mannheim's sociology of knowledge, the field was transformed by Berger and Luckmann's social-constructionist synthesis (1966), influencing constructionism across the social sciences and the later sociology of scientific knowledge.

Debates

Does social conditioning imply relativism?

Whether the social determination of knowledge undermines claims to objective truth.

Key figures

• Karl Mannheim
• Peter Berger
• Thomas Luckmann

Seminal works

• mannheim-1936
• berger-luckmann-1966

Frequently asked questions

What does 'social construction of reality' mean?

The idea that what people take to be objective reality is built up and sustained through social processes and shared meanings.