Durkheim's Epistemology: The Initial Critique, 1915-1924

Although it is evident in his work from the beginning, Durkheim's epistemological argument did not appear in its completed form until the 1912 publication of The Elementary Forms of the Religious Life. There Durkheim outlined a theory of enacted social practice as the foundation for an epistemo...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Sociological quarterly 1997, Vol.38 (1), p.111-145
Main Author: Rawls, Anne Warfield
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Constructivist epistemology
Criticism (1915-24)
Durkheim, Emile
Durkheim, Emile (1858-1917)
EMIL DURKHEIM
Emile Durkheim
Empiricism
Epistemology
Ethical epistemology
Group mind
History and organization of sociology
History of Sociology
History, theory and methodology
Idealism
Literary criticism
Mind
MODERN POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY
PHILOSOPHY
POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY
Pragmatism
Religion
Social epistemology
Social theories
Social Theory
Sociological Theory
Sociology
Theory
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Summary:Although it is evident in his work from the beginning, Durkheim's epistemological argument did not appear in its completed form until the 1912 publication of The Elementary Forms of the Religious Life. There Durkheim outlined a theory of enacted social practice as the foundation for an epistemology. Yet neither Durkheim's contribution to a theory of social practice nor his epistemological argument have been recognized as such. The early critics played a pivotal role in creating and perpetuating this misunderstanding. The first highly negative wave of criticism in English, which treated Durkheim's arguments as naive, inadequate philosophy, appeared between 1915 and 1924. Inadequate as these initial criticisms were, citations show that they have been heavily relied upon. On these critics" authority, scholars rejected Durkheim's epistemology altogether, focusing instead on his sociology of knowledge and sociology of religion.
ISSN:0038-0253
1533-8525
DOI:10.1111/j.1533-8525.1997.tb02342.x