Sociologists have known for a long time about the social constraints on knowledge, ethics, beliefs. It’s the sociologist’s stock in trade.
What we have witnessed in the past couple of decades is the democratization of sociology. Now everyone’s a sociologist, and even, unlike some obfuscating sociologists, turns sociology back on himself to become self-conscious of the social conditions of his own beliefs. Hence our shyness about stating beliefs; even the most obvious observations tremble before the recognition that we observe from a particular place.
Here is a postmodern slogan to set alongside Lyotard’s: “Simplifying in the extreme, the postmodern condition is that we are all sociologists now.”
Peter Leithart
Peter J. Leithart is President of Theopolis Institute. He is the author of numerous books on theology, literature, and culture, including Theopolitan, Defending Constantine, and Baptized Body.
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