Las Incertidumbres del saber

Politics, History, and Social Change

by Immanuel Wallerstein

Las incertidumbres del saber es la continuación del trabajo que Immanuel Wallerstein realiza desde hace más de una década con el propósito de explicar la crisis del conocimiento en el pensamiento intelectual de hoy. El autor sostiene que las divisiones disciplinares de la academia nos han atrapado en un paradigma que adopta el supuesto de que el conocimiento es una certeza que nos sirve para explicar el mundo social. Sin embargo, para Wallerstein, tal postura no es la más adecuada, y él ofrece a cambio una nueva concepción de las ciencias sociales cuya metodología abre las puertas a la incertidumbre. Desde la institucionalización de las ciencias sociales, que crecieron a fines del siglo XIX bajo la sombra del predominio cultural de la ciencia newtoniana, Wallerstein describe el proceso que derivó en una concepción determinista del mundo, central para la ciencia moderna. Alejado de todo cientificismo, y en favor de una idea de la ciencia donde las probabilidades tienen mayor cabida que las certezas, el autor se propone constituir nuevos sistemas a partir de las concepciones de la realidad que ofrecen los parámetros del saber incierto. Sólo así, asegura, se podrán analizar las alternativas históricas que el presente posee. «Immanuel Wallerstein es un historiador muy respetado y, además, un visionario: una inusual combinación que lo convierte en una figura de referencia cuya retórica eficaz, ideas radicales y notable erudición desafían los modelos tradicionales del discurso académico.» William H. McNeill, Diplomatic History «Wallerstein recurre a su erudición en materia histórica y a sus formidables conocimientos teóricos para arrojar luz sobre el proceso de incesante transformación de nuestra sociedad. Es más, se atreve a pensar en el futuro.» Frances Fox Piven «Wallerstein es claro, persuasivo y profundo.» Michael Mann, The British Journal of Sociology.

Genres: Sociology, Philosophy, Social Science, Politics

298 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 2004

About the author

Immanuel Maurice Wallerstein was a scholar of politics, sociologist, historical social scientist, and world-systems analyst. His bimonthly commentaries on world affairs were syndicated.

Reviews

[Cengiz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wallerstein analyses world systems and epistemology of the structures of knowledge. Historical systems constructs their own structures of knowledge. Capitalist system whose structures of knowledge based on Newtonian laws of motion, Cartesian dualism and Baconian scientism has determined our intelectual, political and academic lives for centuries. Philosophy which is in search
of good and science which is in search of true has has been separated fom each other. Therefore, science has been value-free and it anaylses what nature and man is. It has been held that it doesn't dominate and divert the world of values. The principal characteristic of this scientific knowledge was its certainty.
However, just as science rejected and questioned the revelation and speculative knowledge the same way after 1960's the science itself has been criticised and its truth has been questioned.
Wallerstein suggests that because the science misused or misundersood it should not be put aside.
But the end of the capitalism as a historical system and its structures of knowledge as we know it today has completed its life. Until a new historical system emerges, existing structures of knowledge will be in use and this knowledge will be premised on uncertainty.
Additionally, ı have to say that ı could not understand well the passage he is talking about Prigogine who is a Nobel laurate in physics.

[Ali · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wallerstein'ın sosyal bilimler konusundaki eleştirel yaklaşımını özetleyen, farklı bir sosyal bilimler anlayışı için, bilginin üretiminden başlayarak, alternatif düşünce tarzları öneren, nitelikli bir kitabı daha.