Abstract
The growing attention of the government in Iran to the individual-centered discourse and its knowledge kinds has caused a slow and increasing influence of individual-centered theories, methodologies and approaches (including economics, along with emerging psychology and mysticism) in social explanations and analysis. This is one of the implications and examples of the imperialist relationship between individualist discourse and sociology. This paper analyzes this scientific imperialism and exposes its different dimensions. This research is based on documentary research method. The assumption of this research is that, the empirical and historical evidences show the school of Nominalism, and its ontological and epistemological bases, acts as a significant part of the rules and foundations of economics (one of the meanings of individual-centered discourse). The findings show that individual-centered and atomism, especially economics, have emerged and grown increasingly in Iranian society. Nominalism, as the ontological and epistemological foundation of this discourse, has played an important role in theorizing this situation. The result of this situation is nothing but the dominance of the individual-centered and the weakening of the social, both in the analysis of reality and in its construction. In the meantime, one should not and cannot ignore the relation and cooperation of power and knowledge for the emergence and stabilization of this situation.
Presenters
Farhad BayaniAssistant Professor of Sociology, Sociocultural Studies of Science and Technology, Institute for Cultural, Social and Civilization Studies, Iran
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
2024 Special Focus—Traveling Concepts: The Transfer and Translation of Ideas in the Humanities
KEYWORDS
Nominalism, Scientific Imperialism, Economics, Individual-Oriented Discourse, The Social
