Toward Transformation in Social Knowledge
This century has been characterized by a strong and pervasive belief in "certainty through science. " It is a belief that has been nurtured by philosophers, scientists, and governing bodies alike. And, where vocal reassurance has failed to convince, modem
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Psychology Advisory Editor: Robert F. Kidd
Springer Series in Social Psychology Advisory Editor: Robert F. Kidd
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Personality, Roles, and Social Behavior William Ickes/Eric S. Knowles (Editors) Toward Transformation in Social Knowledge Kenneth 1. Gergen The Ethics of Social Research: Surveys and Experiments Joan E. Sieber (Editor)
The Ethics of Social Research: Fieldwork, Regulation, and Publication Joan E. Sieber (Editor)
Anger and Aggression: An Essay on Emotion James R. Averill
SSSP Kenneth]. Gergen
Toward Transformation in Social Knowledge
[I]
Springer-Verlag
New York
Heidelberg
Berlin
Kenneth J. Gergen Department of Psychology Swarthmore College Swarthmore, Pennsylvania 19081 U.S. A. Robert F. Kidd, Advisory Editor Department of Psychology Boston University Boston, Massachusetts 02215 U. S . A.
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication data Gergen, Kenneth 1. Toward transformation in social knowledge. (Springer series in social psychology) Bibliography: p. Includes indexes. 1. Social psychology-Philosophy. 2. Knowledge, Theory of. 3. Knowledge, Sociology of. I. Title. II. Series. HM251 G349 302 82-3198 AACR2
©
1982 by Springer- Verlag New York Inc. Softcover reprint of the hardcover I st edition 1982
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9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 I ISBN-13: 978-1-4612-5708-0 DOl: 10.1007/978-1-4612-5706-6
e-ISBN-13: 978-1-4612-5706-6
To my father and mother
Preface
This century has been characterized by a strong and pervasive belief in "certainty through science." It is a belief that has been nurtured by philosophers, scientists, and governing bodies alike. And, where vocal reassurance has failed to convince, modem technology has more than compensated. It has, in effect, been a century in which humankind seemed at last to be making significant headway toward objective and enduring truth. Yet, as the century winds toward its conclusion, this optimistic belief has begun to confront a challenging array of attacks. Widespread signals of concern are increasingly evident, and in the philosophy of science little but remnants remain of the bold rationale that once promised truth through method. One now senses a profound alteration taking place in both the concept of knowledge and of science-an alteration that may prove to be as significant as the Copernican revolution, the emergence of Darwinism, or the development of Freudian theory. As a result of the latter transformations,
