Constructivist epistemology

Constructivism epistemology is a epistemological perspective in philosophy about the nature of scientific knowledge held by many philosophers of science. Epistemology (from Greek επιστήμη - episteme, "knowledge" + λόγος, " Logos " or theory of knowledge Philosophy is the study of general problems concerning matters such as existence knowledge truth beauty justice validity mind and language ^[1] Constructivists maintain that scientific knowledge is constructed by scientists and not discovered from the world through strict scientific methods. In opposition of positivism that states that scientific knowledge comes from positive affirmation of theories through strict scientific methods: quantitative research. Positivism is the Philosophy that the only authentic knowledge is knowledge that is based on actual sense experience Constructivism believes that there is no single valid methodology and there are other methodologies for social science: qualitative research. ^[2]

1 Overview
2 History
3 Constructivism's concepts and ideas
4 Constructivism and sciences
5 Constructivist trends
6 Quotations
7 See also
8 References
9 Further reading
10 External links

Overview

Constructivism has roots in philosophy, education and social constructivism. Constructivism in Psychology concerns the world of constructivist Psychologies. Constructivism is a psychological theory of knowledge ( Epistemology) which argues that humans construct knowledge and meaning from their experiences Social constructionism and social constructivism are sociological and psychological theories of Knowledge that consider how social phenomena develop in Constructivism criticizes objectivism, which embraces a static reality that is independent of human cognition; constructivism holds that the only reality we can know is that which is represented by human thought. The reality is independent of human thought but the meaning or knowledge is always human construction. ^[3]

Constructionism and constructivism are often used interchangeably. It is believed by constructivists that representations of physical and biological reality, including race, sexuality, and gender are socially constructed. The term race or racial group usually refers to the concept of categorizing Humans into Populations or groups on the basis of various sets Generally speaking human sexuality is how people experience and express themselves as sexual beings Gender comprises a range of differences between men and women extending from the biological to the social A social construction or social construct is any phenomenon "invented" or "constructed" by participants in a particular Culture or Society Hegel, Garns, and Marx were among the first to suggest such an ambitious expansion of social determinism. Social determinism is the concept that the social circumstances at a particular moment in time determine which technologies are adopted and how

The expression "Constructivist epistemology" was first used by Jean Piaget, 1967, with plural form in the famous article from the "Encyclopédie de la Pléiade" Logique et Connaissance scientifique or "Logic and Scientific knowledge", an important text for epistemology. Jean Piaget pjaʒɛ ( August 9, 1896 &ndash September 16, 1980) was a Swiss philosopher, natural scientist Epistemology (from Greek επιστήμη - episteme, "knowledge" + λόγος, " Logos " or theory of knowledge He refers directly to the mathematician Brouwer and his radical constructivism. Luitzen Egbertus Jan Brouwer ɛxˈbɛʁtəs jɑn ˈbʁʌuəʁ ( February 27 1881, Overschie – December 2 1966, Blaricum

Moreover, in 1967, Peter L. Berger and Thomas Luckmann published The Social Construction of Reality, which has initiated social constructionism. Peter Ludwig Berger (born March 17, 1929) is an American sociologist and Lutheran theologian well known for his work The Thomas Luckmann (born October 14 1927) is a German sociologist of Slovene origin Social constructionism and social constructivism are sociological and psychological theories of Knowledge that consider how social phenomena develop in

History

Constructivism find its roots through :

Greek philosophers as Heraclitus (Everything flows, nothing stands still), Protagoras (Man is the measure of all things), Aristotle. Heraclitus of Ephesus ( Ancient Greek: &mdash grc-Latn ''Hērákleitos ho Ephésios'' English Heraclitus the Ephesian) (ca Protagoras ( Greek:) (ca 490&ndash 420 BC was a pre-Socratic Greek Philosopher and is numbered as one of the Sophists by Aristotle (Greek Aristotélēs) (384 BC – 322 BC was a Greek philosopher a student of Plato and teacher of Alexander the Great.
After the Renaissance and the enlightenment, with the phenomenology and the event, Kant gives a decisive contradiction to Cartesians’ epistemology that has grown since Descartes despite Giambattista Vico calls in "La scienza nuova" (the new science) in 1708 reminding that "the norm of the truth is to have made it". Immanuel Kant (ɪmanuəl kant 22 April 1724 12 February 1804 was an 18th-century German Philosopher from the Prussian city of Königsberg Giambattista Vico, Giambattista Vigo or Giovanni Battista Vico ( June 23, 1668 – January 23, 1744) was an Italian
XXth century, Gaston Bachelard, who is known for his physics psychoanalysis and the definition of an "epistemologic obstacle" that can disturb a changing of scientific paradigm as the one that occurred between classical mechanics and Einstein’s relativism, opens the teleological way with "The meditation on the object takes the form of the project". Gaston Bachelard ( June 27, 1884 &ndash October 16, 1962) was a French Philosopher who rose to some of the most prestigious In the following famous saying, he insist on the question that come first when searching a theory, before summarizing "nothing is given, all is constructed" : "And, irrespective of what one might assume, in the life of a science, problems do not arise by themselves. It is precisely this that marks out a problem as being of the true scientific spirit: all knowledge is in response to a question. If there no were question, there would be no scientific knowledge. Nothing proceeds from itself. Nothing is given. All is constructed. ", Gaston Bachelard (La formation de l'esprit scientifique, 1934). While quantum mechanics is starting to grow, Gaston Bachelard makes a call for a new science in "Le Nouvel Esprit scientifique" (The new scientific spirit).
XXth century again, French poet and philosopher Paul Valéry reminds us of the importance of representations and action : "We have always sought explanations when it was only representations that we could seek to invent", "My hand feels touched as well as it touches; reality says this, and nothing more". Ambroise-Paul-Toussaint-Jules Valéry (French pɔl valeˈʁi October 30, 1871 – July 20, 1945) was a French Poet
This link with action, that could be call a "philosophy of action" was well represented by Spanish poet Antonio Machado : Caminante, no hay camino, se hace camino al andar. Antonio Cipriano José María y Francisco de Santa Ana Machado y Ruiz, known as Antonio Machado ( July 26, 1875 &ndash February 22,
Ludwik Fleck establishes scientific constructivism by introducing the notions of thought collective (Denkkollektiv), and thought style (Denkstil), through which the evolution of science is much more understandable, because the research objects can be described in terms of the assumptions (thought style) that are shared for practical but also inherently social reasons, or just because any thought collective tends to preserve itself. Ludwik Fleck ( July 11, 1896 &ndash July 5, 1961) (also written as Ludwig) was a Polish medical These notions have been drawn upon by Thomas Kuhn. Thomas Samuel Kuhn (surname ˈkuːn July 18, 1922 &ndash June 17, 1996) was an American intellectual who wrote extensively
Norbert Wiener gives another defense of teleology in 1943 "Behavior, intention and teleology" and is one of those who created cybernetics. Norbert Wiener ( November 26, 1894, Columbia Missouri – March 18, 1964, Stockholm, Sweden) was an American
Jean Piaget, after the creation in 1955 of the International Centre for Genetic Epistemology in Geneva, first uses the expression "constructivists epistemologies" (see above). Jean Piaget pjaʒɛ ( August 9, 1896 &ndash September 16, 1980) was a Swiss philosopher, natural scientist According to Ernst von Glasersfeld, Jean Piaget is "the great pioneer of the constructivist theory of knowing" (in An Exposition of Constructivism: Why Some Like it Radical, 1990) and "the most prolific constructivist in our century" (in Aspects of Radical Constructivism, 1996). Ernst von Glasersfeld (born 1917 in Munich) is a Philosopher, a cybernetician and is Emeritus Professor of Psychology at the
Herbert Simon called « The sciences of the artificial » these new sciences (cybernetics, cognitive sciences, decision and organisation sciences) that, because of the abstraction of their object (information, communication, decision), cannot match with the classical epistemology and its experimental method and refutability. Herbert Alexander Simon ( June 15, 1916 February 9, 2001) was an American Political scientist whose research ranged
Gregory Bateson and his book Steps to an Ecology of Mind (1972). Gregory Bateson ( 9 May 1904 – 4 July 1980) was a British anthropologist, social scientist, linguist
Heinz von Foerster, invited by Jean Piaget, presented "Objects: tokens for (Eigen-)behaviours" in 1976 in Geneva at a Genetic Epistemology Symposium, a text that will become a reference for constructivist epistemology. Heinz von Foerster (Nov 13 1911 Vienna – Oct 2 2002 Pescadero California) was an Austrian American scientist combining Physics and Philosophy
Paul Watzlawick, who supervised in 1984 the publication of Invented Reality: How Do We Know What We Believe We Know? (Contributions to constructivism). Paul Watzlawick PhD ( July 24 1921 - March 31 2007) was a theoretician in Communication Theory and Radical Constructivism
Ernst von Glasersfeld, who has promoted since the end of the 70s radical constructivism (see below). Ernst von Glasersfeld (born 1917 in Munich) is a Philosopher, a cybernetician and is Emeritus Professor of Psychology at the
Edgar Morin and his book La Méthode (1977-2004, six volumes). Edgar Morin is a French Philosopher and Sociologist who was born in Paris on July 8, 1921 under the original name
Mioara Mugur-Schächter who is also a quantum mechanics specialist. Mioara Mugur-Schächter is a French specialist on Quantum Physics and Epistemology
Jean-Louis Le Moigne for his encyclopedic work on constructivist epistemology and his General Systems theory (see "Le Moigne's Defense of Constructivism" by Ernst von Glasersfeld). Jean-Louis Le Moigne is a French specialist on systemics and constructivist epistemology Ernst von Glasersfeld (born 1917 in Munich) is a Philosopher, a cybernetician and is Emeritus Professor of Psychology at the

Constructivism's concepts and ideas

The common thread between all forms of constructivism is that they do not focus on an ontological reality, but instead on a constructed reality. In Philosophy, ontology (from the Greek, genitive: of being (part Indeed, a basic presupposition of constructivism is that Reality-As-It-Is-In-Itself (Ontological Reality) is utterly incoherent as a concept, since there is no way to verify how one has finally reached a definitive notion of Reality. Reality, in everyday usage means "the state of things as they actually exist" One must already have Reality in mind--that is, one must already know what Reality consists of--in order to confirm when one has at last "hit bottom. " Richard Rorty has said that all claims to Realism can be reduced to intuition (Consequences of Pragmatism, chs. Richard McKay Rorty (October 4 1931 - June 8 2007 was an American Philosopher. 9, 11). The Realist/Anti-Realist debate can be reduced, in the end, to a conflict of intuitions: "It seems to us that. . . " vs "Well, it seems to us that. . . " A realist would not like to construe the argument in this way, and would say that one of these is misled, that one group perceives correctly, and the other perceives incorrectly. Strict constructivists will complain that there is no way to confirm one way or another, since the goal of inquiry (Reality) must be assumed to be understood at the outset. The Realist hope, in a constructivist view, is simply to arbitrarily freeze the infinite circularity that plagues human reasoning which vainly hopes to validate itself with a secure foundation.

Famously, this rather relativist theory is seen by some to contradict itself as a true affirmation: because this view also is "constructed," that is, made and not found, built by human hands rather than discovered in Nature or Reality. Compare Moral relativism, Aesthetic relativism, Social constructionism, Cultural relativism, and Cognitive relativism. The word theory has many distinct meanings in different fields of Knowledge, depending on their methodologies and the context of discussion. Consistent constructivists, however, will reply to this tu quoque (your theory, too!) critique with a rejoinder of their own: bien sur! (of course our theory, too!). It is an obvious and foolish claim for a constructivist to play a realist with regard to his or her own perspective. It is the basic claim of constructivism which allows one to reject altogether claims to universalism, realism or objective truth. Consistent constructivists will not make any of these "hard" claims for their views, for they believe that their position is merely a view, a more or less coherent way of understanding things, that has thus far worked for them as a model of the world. This notion is deeply indebted to Darwinian theory, as it is claimed by constructivists that human understanding, as the product of Natural Selection, can be said to provide no more "true" understanding of the world as it is in itself than is absolutely necessary for human survival. Darwinism is a term used for various different movements or concepts related to a greater or lesser extent to Charles Darwin 's work on Evolution. Naturally, one will ask constructivists why they accept Darwin as a foundational thesis, if there are no "truer" explanations of the world than any other. Constructivists will reply that Darwinism epistemology undercuts itself as a transparent window onto the world, and reveals only its plausibility as an account. Insofar as someone desires a naturalistic account of the world that makes sense of a variety of data, Darwinism is the best (indeed, virtually only) explanatory schema that meets the requirements of modern scientific inquiry. Darwinism is a term used for various different movements or concepts related to a greater or lesser extent to Charles Darwin 's work on Evolution. Modern scientific inquiry, however, constructivists wish to point out, is itself subject to the contingencies of history, culture, language, and the tenuousness of the human intellect. For many, though, this self-reflexive anti-epistemology will not prove useful, desirable or very sturdy as an explanatory framework. An excellent account of the Self-Refutation Charge is given in Barbara Herrnstein Smith's Belief & Resistance, chapter 5 (pp. Barbara Herrnstein Smith is an American literary critic and theorist, best-known for her work Contingencies of Value Alternative Perspectives for Critical Theory 73-87; "Unloading the Self-Refutation Charge").

Constructivism proposes new definitions for knowledge and truth that forms a new paradigm, based on inter-subjectivity instead of the classical objectivity and viability instead of truth. Knowledge is defined ( Oxford English Dictionary) variously as (i expertise and skills acquired by a person through experience or education the theoretical or practical understanding The meaning of the word truth extends from Honesty, Good faith, and Sincerity in general to agreement with Fact or Reality The word paradigm ( Greek:παράδειγμα (paradigmacomposite from para- and the verb δείχνυμι "to show" as a whole -roughly- meaning "example" The constructivist point of view is pragmatic as Vico said: "the truth is to have made it". Giambattista Vico, Giambattista Vigo or Giovanni Battista Vico ( June 23, 1668 – January 23, 1744) was an Italian

In this paradigm, "sciences of the artificial" (see Herbert Simon) as cybernetics, automatics or decision theory, management and engineering sciences can justify their teaching and have a space in the academy as "real sciences". Herbert Alexander Simon ( June 15, 1916 February 9, 2001) was an American Political scientist whose research ranged Cybernetics is the interdisciplinary study of the Structure of Complex systems especially Communication processes control mechanisms and Feedback Decision theory in Mathematics and Statistics is concerned with identifying the Values uncertainties and other issues relevant in a given Management (covering theory practice and scope of management and Manager' (covering the people who manage might help clarify and systematise

Constructivism and sciences

Social constructivism in sociology

Main article: Social constructionism

One version of social constructivism contends that categories of knowledge and reality are actively created by social relationships and interactions. Social constructionism and social constructivism are sociological and psychological theories of Knowledge that consider how social phenomena develop in These interactions also alter the way in which scientific episteme is organized.

Social activity presupposes human beings inhabiting shared forms of life, and in the case of social construction, utilizing semiotic resources (meaning making and meaning signifying) with reference to social structures and institutions. Semiotics, semiotic studies, or semiology is the study of sign processes (semiosis or signification and communication signs and Symbols both Several traditions use the term Social Constructivism: psychology (after Lev Vygotsky), sociology (after Durkheim, Peter Berger and Thomas Luckmann, themselves influenced by Alfred Schütz), sociology of knowledge (David Bloor), sociology of mathematics (Sal Restivo), philosophy of mathematics (Paul Ernest). Psychology (from Greek grc ψῡχή psȳkhē, "breath life soul" and grc -λογία -logia) is an Academic and Lev Semenovich Vygotsky (Russian Лев Семёнович Выготский ( November 17 ( November 5 Old Style) 1896 – June 11, 1934 Sociology (from Latin: socius "companion" and the suffix -ology "the study of" from Greek λόγος lógos "knowledge" Émile Durkheim ( April 15, 1858 – November 15, 1917) was a French Sociologist whose contributions were instrumental Peter Ludwig Berger (born March 17, 1929) is an American sociologist and Lutheran theologian well known for his work The Thomas Luckmann (born October 14 1927) is a German sociologist of Slovene origin Alfred Schütz (1899-1959 aka Alfred Schutz was a Philosopher and Sociologist. The Sociology of Knowledge is the study of the relationship between human thought and the social context within which it arises and of the effects prevailing ideas have on societies David Bloor is a professor in and a former director of the ' Science Studies Unit ' at the University of Edinburgh (see Edinburgh School) Sociology (from Latin: socius "companion" and the suffix -ology "the study of" from Greek λόγος lógos "knowledge" Mathematics is the body of Knowledge and Academic discipline that studies such concepts as Quantity, Structure, Space and Sal Restivo is a leading contributor to Science studies and in particular to the Sociology of mathematical knowledge The philosophy of mathematics is the branch of Philosophy that studies the philosophical assumptions foundations and implications of Mathematics. Paul Ernest is a recent contributor to the social constructivist (see Social constructivism) philosophy of Mathematics. Ludwig Wittgenstein's later philosophy can be seen as a foundation for Social Constructivism, with its key theoretical concepts of language games embedded in forms of life.

Lev Vygotsky's social constructivist principles can be applied in new collaborative tools such as blogs, wikis, and podcasts.

Constructivism and psychology

Main article: Constructivism (psychological school)

Constructivism and education

Main article: Constructivism (learning theory)

Constructivism and postmodernism

For some, social constructionism can be seen as a source of the postmodern movement, and has been influential in the field of cultural studies. Constructivism in Psychology concerns the world of constructivist Psychologies. Constructivism is a psychological theory of knowledge ( Epistemology) which argues that humans construct knowledge and meaning from their experiences Some have gone so far as to attribute the rise of cultural studies (the cultural turn) to social constructionism.

From a realist's point of view, both postmodernism and constructivism can be seen as relativist theories. Postmodernism literally means 'after the modernist movement' While " Modern " itself refers to something "related to the present" the movement of modernism Compare Moral relativism, Aesthetic relativism, Social constructionism, Cultural relativism, and Cognitive relativism.

Constructivist trends

Cultural constructivism: Cultural constructivism asserts that knowledge and reality are a product of their cultural context, meaning that two independent cultures will likely form different observational methodologies. For instance, Western cultures generally rely on objects for scientific descriptions; by contrast, Native American culture relies on events for descriptions. These are two distinct ways of constructing reality based on external artifacts.

Communal constructivism: In Communal constructivism students and teachers are not simply engaged in developing their own information. Rather, they are actively involved in creating knowledge that will benefit other students. "In this model students will not simply pass through a course like water through a sieve but instead leave their own imprint in the development of the course, their school or university, and ideally the discipline. " Holmes, B. , Tangney, B. , Fitzgibbon, A. , Savage, T, & Mehan, S. (2001). [PDF]

Radical constructivism: Ernst von Glasersfeld is a prominent proponent of radical constructivism, which claims that knowledge is the self-organized cognitive process of the human brain. Ernst von Glasersfeld (born 1917 in Munich) is a Philosopher, a cybernetician and is Emeritus Professor of Psychology at the That is, the process of constructing knowledge regulates itself, and since knowledge is a construct rather than a compilation of empirical data, it is impossible to know the extent to which knowledge reflects an ontological reality. In Philosophy, ontology (from the Greek, genitive: of being (part; See also: Francisco Varela, Humberto Maturana, and Heinz von Foerster

Critical constructivism: A series of articles published in the journal Critical Inquiry (1991) served as a manifesto for the movement of critical constructivism in various disciplines, including the natural sciences. Francisco Javier Varela García ( Sept 7, 1946 &ndash May 28, 2001) was a Chilean biologist, philosopher and neuroscientist Humberto Maturana (born September 14, 1928, in Santiago Chile) is a Chilean Biologist. Heinz von Foerster (Nov 13 1911 Vienna – Oct 2 2002 Pescadero California) was an Austrian American scientist combining Physics and Philosophy In Science, the term natural science refers to a naturalistic approach to the study of the Universe, which is understood as obeying rules or law of Not only truth and reality, but also "evidence", "document", "experience", "fact", "proof", and other central categories of empirical research (in physics, biology, statistics, history, law, etc. Evidence in its broadest sense includes anything that is used to determine or demonstrate the Truth of an assertion A document (noun is a bounded physical representation of body of Information designed with the capacity (and usually intent to Communicate. Experience as a general concept comprises Knowledge of or skill in or Observation of some thing or some event gained through involvement in or Generally a fact is defined as something that is true something that actually exists or something that can be verified according to an established standard of evaluation Physics (Greek Physis - φύσις in everyday terms is the Science of Matter and its motion. Foundations of modern biology There are five unifying principles Statistics is a mathematical science pertaining to the collection analysis interpretation or explanation and presentation of Data. History is the study of the past particularly the written record Those who study history as a Profession are called Historians Etymology Law is a system of rules enforced through a set of Institutions used as an instrument to underpin civil obedience politics economics and society ) reveal their contingent character as a social and ideological construction. Thus, a "realist" or "rationalist" interpretation is subjected to criticism.

While recognizing the constructedness of reality, many representatives of this critical paradigm deny philosophy the task of the creative construction of reality. They eagerly criticize realistic judgments, but they do not move beyond analytic procedures based on subtle tautologies. In Propositional logic, a tautology (from the Greek word ταυτολογία is a Propositional formula that is true under any possible valuation They thus remain in the critical paradigm and consider it to be a standard of scientific philosophy per se.

Genetic epistemology: James Mark Baldwin invented this expression, which was later popularized by Jean Piaget. James Mark Baldwin ( Columbia South Carolina, 1861–1934 was an American philosopher and psychologist who was educated at Princeton Jean Piaget pjaʒɛ ( August 9, 1896 &ndash September 16, 1980) was a Swiss philosopher, natural scientist From 1955 to 1980, Piaget was Director of the International Centre for Genetic Epistemology in Geneva.

Quotations

Verum esse ipsum factum, Giambattista Vico

"the norm of the truth is to have made it," or

"the true is precisely what is made"

Verum et factum convertuntur, Giambattista Vico

"the true and the made are convertible"

Et, quoi qu’on en dise, dans la vie scientifique, les problèmes ne se posent pas d’eux-mêmes. Giambattista Vico, Giambattista Vigo or Giovanni Battista Vico ( June 23, 1668 – January 23, 1744) was an Italian Giambattista Vico, Giambattista Vigo or Giovanni Battista Vico ( June 23, 1668 – January 23, 1744) was an Italian C’est précisément ce sens du problème qui donne la marque du véritable esprit scientifique. Pour un esprit scientifique, toute connaissance est une réponse à une question. S’il n’y a pas eu de question, il ne peut y avoir de connaissance scientifique. Rien ne va de soi. Rien n’est donné. Tout est construit, Gaston Bachelard (La formation de l'esprit scientifique, 1934)

"And, irrespective of what one might assume, in the life of a science, problems do not arise by themselves. Gaston Bachelard ( June 27, 1884 &ndash October 16, 1962) was a French Philosopher who rose to some of the most prestigious It is precisely this that marks out a problem as being of the true scientific spirit: all knowledge is in response to a question. If there were no question, there would be no scientific knowledge. Nothing proceeds from itself. Nothing is given. All is constructed. "

On a toujours cherché des explications quand c’était des représentations qu’on pouvait seulement essayer d’inventer, Paul Valéry

"We have always sought explanations when it was only representations that we could seek to invent"

Ma main se sent touchée aussi bien qu’elle touche ; réel veut dire cela, et rien de plus, Paul Valéry

"My hand feels touched as well as it touches; that's reality, and nothing more"

Intelligence organizes the world by organizing itself, Jean Piaget in "La construction du réel chez l'enfant" (1937)

References

^ Routledge 2000. Concise routledge encyclopedia of Philosophy.
^ Schofield, L. Critical Theory and Constructivism
^ Research Perspectives is: Crotty, M. (1998). The Foundations of Social Science Research: Meaning and Perspective in the Research Process.

External links

Radical Constructivism
Constructivist Foundations is a peer-reviewed journal which publishes papers on radical constructivism, enactivist cognitive science, second order cybernetics, and related topics.
Science studies and constructivism

© 2009 citizendia.org; parts available under the terms of GNU Free Documentation License, from http://en.wikipedia.org
network: | |

Contents