Constructivism and Practice: Toward a Historical Epistemology - Softcover

This extraordinarily rich collection of essays, many of them strikingly original contributions in their own right, owes its inspiration to the work of Marx Wartofsky. Constructivism and Practice is an intellectual feast, lively and rewarding, and deserves a wide readership. -- Peter Caws, George Washington University Marx Wartofsky was a splendid philosopher and these essays not only remind us how splendid he was, but continue our conversation with him in a variety of insightful ways. -- Alisdair MacIntyre, University of Notre Dame

Over the past several decades, philosophers have grown to recognize the role played by frameworks and models in the construction of human knowledge. Further, they have paid increasing attention to the origins of knowing processes in social and historical contexts of human practical activities, and to social transformation of the frameworks over time. In a series of original essays by prominent philosophers, Constructivism and Practice advances the understanding of the role of construction and model creation, reflects on the relationship of these models to social practices, and considers whether our modes of knowing themselves have a history. These questions are thoughtfully considered in the light of the 'historical epistemology' first developed by Marx Wartofsky.