Social Construct

Notes

Claim

Social construct means that some concepts in our lives are based solely on the fact that an idea is accepted by a Change happens suddenly once a threshold is crossed of people, enough to influence their behavior, which makes the idea true. Truth and goodness are defined by practical usefulness Truth

Explanation

It is the societal version of Being emerges from action not belief.

Why it matters

Negative or harmful beliefs can also be shared through social constructs. That there is no objective reason that ties the properties of womanhood for female, for example there is no reason women should be cooks and cleaners, while men should not necessarily be the "providers" of the family. It is only true because we believe it, but if we replace these Narratives shape perception and identity by constructing subjective reality with healthier ones, we can replace the values that these concepts hold because they are not tied to anything concrete in the real world.

Examples

For example, money as we know it today is a social construct. It is not tied to anything of value in the world, only on the agreement that it can be worth anything. If we all decided to stop using dollars as currency, the dollar will be worthless. It gains it's value from our trust and belief that it has such value.

For example, many believe that "womanhood" and "manhood" are social constructs Stereotypes apply mental shortcuts by inferring group traits onto individuals.

Supporters

Opposers

Open questions

Visual

Overview

🔼Topic:: Nature and Limits of Knowledge ↩️Origin:: 🔗Link::