Cultural relativism is a much employed term in cultural anthropology. Starting from the empirical observation that cultures are different, cultural relativism infers the normative conclusion that each culture is equally valid. From this conclusion, the methodological rule of studying each culture in its own right is being deduced.
But the term "sociological relativism" is not so often used. Does it make sense to speak of "sociological relativism"?
It might make sense in a Thomas Kuhnian worldview. I believethat sociological relativism is a theory of theories. Thomas Kuhn's Structure of Scientific Revolutions is a theory that all theories or paradigms go through cycles-- a birth and death cycle-- where new ones will eventually arise. So maybe this is one sociological view, while we could take another view which is hegelian, or marxist, and here we go down the relativist rainbow! What do you think?
I think that your Kuhnian-Hegelian-Marxist interpretation of "sociological relativism" is somewhat eccentric. I tend to understand sociological relativism as a kind of cultural relativism applied to social groups instead of entire cultures.
I've read Kuhn's book (twice), and I do not see his theory as being a cyclical one. Instead of a cycle, Kuhn argues that scientific activity runs in two modes: normal science, in which scientists are quite dogmatic regarding the assumptions of the paradigms and working to solve the puzzles in order to further articulate the paradigm; and revolutionary science, when the assumptions of the previously unquestioned paradigm are challenged, and possibly the entire paradigm is being overthrown. Does two phases make up a cycle? I don't think so. This is why I am against the idea that Kuhn proposed a cyclical theory of scientific activity.
Moreover, your organismic terminology ("birth" and "death") resonate more closely with Oswald Spengler's theory of the growth and decline of civilizations. Personally, I dislike making organismic analogies or employing organismic metaphors, because this kind of language opens the door to medicalization.
Mihai! We might reflect on your term "sociological relativism " as a form of historically "divergent sociologies" practiced in different academic circles around the world.That multiple sociologies are epistemologically possible and can be looked upon from a constructivist point of view.For example Ibn-e-Khaldun (in his famous Muqadimmah,Prologmena to History)) explained the rise of Arab culture during Middle Ages in terms of the concept of "group feeling"(Arabic word for group feeling is asabiyya). He has tried to explain the growth and decay of Arabic culture in terms of their unique interpretation of social existence based on the strength of asabiyya( or its weakening in a social group).We can partially explain the emergence of urban mafias employing his sociological insight on the nature of social group solidarity.
The German sociology is entirely different from French,British,American sociologies.These traditions theorize the" problematic of social" from their respective social epistemological context. Just read Bourdieu. He talks of "habitus" when discussing the structure of the social.he does not like to reflect upon the social in a Anglo-American empiricist functional-structural point of view.Bourdieu does not posit a categorical subjective/objective episteme when interpreting the social;he is reflecting on the social reflexively,thereby transcending the boundaries of the logical rigmarole of scientific sociology of Anglo-American tradition. One can also reflexively look at "sociological relativism"as habitus of the sociologist(or the one trying to understand and interpret the social). Kuhnian concept of "normal science: and "paradigm shift" can not be characterized as "sociological relativism,though Kuhn has rightly underscored the significance of cultural context of scientific work and the agenda for scientific research programs. V may say that " sociological relativism" if at all it makes any sense is the theorizing episteme of the social scientist rooted in a social and cultural history ( and the prison of culture at large he/she inhabits??) Peace,Ahmad
First time I read about such a thing, but I think it could be the same as cultural relativism, I mean, social structures and social interactions are relative too.
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