Constructivism

The idea that the various structures and systems found in various levels of government are historically and socially constructed, rather than being made as inevitable consequences of human nature or other essential characteristics of global, regional, national, and local politics.

The name Constructivism was first coined to describe political theories that stress the socially constructed nature of most of systems and structures created in international relations.

by Vanguard 1998 March 20, 2021

constructivism

Functionalism.

Late postmodernism.

Post-postmodernism. Alternatively referred to as post-structuralism.

The ontology of the word 'constructivism' indicates that not only is postmodernism not the same phenology as Marxism; but post-structuralism is post-postmodernism in contrast to postmodernism.

Postmodernism has two periods of development: "hard" led by Frege, Kant, and the German arithmeticians and soft led by the Benjamin, Adorno and the cultural capitalists of the Frankfurt school.

Constructivism or post-postmodernism is best attributed to the post-realists Foucalt, Baudrillard, and Lacan in contrast to the surrealists (postmodernists) that came before them.

"Constructivism" was coined by Jean Piaget.

by tomorrowtomorrow January 7, 2019

radical constructivism

If enough people believe in something... Then it becomes true.

His knowledge is not passively received but actively built up by the cognizing subject and if enough people believe this knowledge it is radically constructed to be true, also know as radical constructivism

by chas mac November 9, 2006

Scientific Constructivism

The position that scientific facts are not simply discovered waiting in nature, but are actively constructed by scientific communities through their practices, instruments, theories, and social negotiations. This doesn't mean facts are arbitrary or "made up"—it means that nature doesn't come pre-packaged into facts; we have to build the packages. A quark is real, but "quark" as a category required accelerators, detectors, mathematics, and conferences to agree on what was seen. Constructivism studies how these packages get built, whose labor builds them, and what gets left out of the final product.

"Before the microscope, 'cells' didn't exist as facts—they were constructed when lens-grinders, biologists, and specimen-stainers created the conditions to see them. Scientific Constructivism just asks us to remember that facts have factories, and the factories matter."

by Abzugal February 23, 2026

Epistemological Constructivism

The theory that knowledge is not discovered ready-made in the world but is actively constructed by knowers through their interactions with reality, their communities, and their tools. We don't find facts lying around like rocks—we build them through observation, interpretation, negotiation, and consensus. This doesn't mean knowledge is arbitrary or "made up"—it means that knowledge is made, not found, and understanding how it's made is essential to understanding what it is. Constructivism studies the workshops where facts are built.

"You think scientific facts are just out there waiting to be found? Epistemological Constructivism says: no, they're constructed through instruments, theories, funding decisions, and lab meetings. They're real, but they're also built. Respect the construction workers or you don't understand the building."

by Abzugal February 23, 2026

Social Constructionism

Using your sociological imagination to completely bullshit your final paper for a sociology graduate student that doesn't understand what he or she is teaching.

Using social constructionism, I passed my sociology course!

by bewarnecke_00 December 18, 2014

Social Constructionism

Using your sociological imagination to completely bullshit your final paper for a sociology graduate student that doesn't understand what he or she is teaching.

Using social constructionism, I passed my sociology course!

by bewarnecke_00 December 18, 2014