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Article: Durkheim's philosophy of science and the sociology of knowledge: creating an intellectual niche.
- Article from:
- Canadian Journal of Sociology
- Article date:
- March 22, 1996
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1996 Canadian Journal of Sociology. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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To this day, there is no consensus about the meaning of Durkheim's social theory. To begin with, the fundamental question of whether the politics of Durkheimian sociology are conservative, liberal, or radical, is still fiercely contested. Besides the unresolved dispute over its political significance, there is disagreement about every facet of Durkheim's work. Whether this work articulates structural functionalism, social constructionism, or critical theory; determinism or voluntarism; materialism or idealism; rationalism or empiricism; positivism or relativism; and whether it changed or remained consistent over Durkheim's lifetime -- all these and more issues remain ...