On ‘The Social Construction of Reality’ & Other Questions

1] What do you understand the term renaissance to mean?
I understand the term renaissance to mean the revival of classical influences characterized by radical developments in arts, medicine, politics and sciences that started in Italy in the later Middle Ages (1300-1600) which gradually spread throughout Europe. It was a cultural and political revolution that has its claws gripped till modern times.

2] Who was Nicola Machiavelli?
Nicola Machiavelli was the Italian political philosopher (1469-1527), famous for his book The Prince, which commented on the corruption of government. Machiavelli also propagated the idea of contemporary policies for governance rather than reviving ancient polities.

3] Who was Edmund Burke?
Edmund Burke (1727- 97) was the British statesman and philosopher of Irish descent who first attributed the idea of the Fourth Estate. Burke is regarded as the Father of Modern Conservatism and while in Parliament was a strong critic of abuse and misgovernment. He also strongly opposed the idea of blank state and rather believed that human thoughts evolved from immemorial past but he concluded that it could be modified (constructed).

4] What does the term ‘doctrinaire radicalism’ mean?
The term ‘doctrinaire radicalism’ means socio-cultural reformations that risk human lives and happiness for instance the so called “People’s Liberation War” led by Maoists in Nepal which has eventually installed a Republic but at the cost of more than 13000 lives.

5] From reading this, how would you define the term ‘socially constructed’?
After reading the text, I would define the term ‘socially constructed’ as the objective reality (assumed) we live in which itself is constructed by language and conversation. Our mind is the final arbiter of truth and our understanding of the world is gained through the meaning that we give to our experiences and socialization which then weaves for us the reality.

6] What does ‘a priori’ mean?
‘a priori’ is a Latin word which means “before the fact”. It refers to the knowledge (hypothesis) gained before any analysis or experiment which is also self-evident.

~ by deadkid on June 15, 2008.