Product ReviewsThe Social Construction of Reality : A Treatise in the Sociology of Knowledge by Thomas Luckmann and Peter L. Berger (1967, Trade Paperback)

Greatly enjoyable. Never regretted the purchase!

To me, this was a really great purchase. I had heard of it while in many of my psychology classes while in college. It was there that my interest was piqued, and hence my reason for buying it here.>
I enjoy most the language of the text. It is rooted in their science but not too indepth with their terminology, for the most part.

The only dislike that I have with the Treatise is that there are some terms that they use throughout the text that they don't define enough or at all in order for a seamless reading.

Overall, like I said at the beginning, I have greatly enjoyed this book. It has taught me more about social construction, which my psych classes mainly just touched on.Read full review...

SCR is Important and Impressive

I read this book as a graduate student writing on the socializing factors of education. Unfortunately, my book budget was low when I decided to read it, and so I used the library copy. I promised myself that I would buy it as soon as I graduated and had more book money.

The book opened up new avenues of thinking for me along the lines of how what is 'known' is social-location dependent, and changing knowledge changes one's communal-social identity and location. Leaving a certain pattern of thinking also leaves, in some profound ways, the communities which still adhere to that knowledge. This is why the quest for knowledge can be isolating. Berger-Luckman also explain in logical and intuitive terms how new knowledge becomes codified into 'matter-of-fact' knowledge. This is helpful for thinking about social change - and why change works best incrementally.

It has some limitations, of course. First among them, the authors do not look at competing social-location identities, and how one might belong to varying 'symbolic universes.' Secondly, there is a sense in which only the academic elite are capable of rising above symbolic universes that cohere the rest of a community/society. Everyone else seems stuck in the mire of their own way of thinking. This criticism is not as well supported as the first, but I think it is still legitimate. Their point may also be true - only those who leave and encounter a new, secondary, symbolic universe can adequately question the assumptions of their primary symbolic universe.

At any rate, as an academic and a pastor, this book is deeply helpful for thinking about the education and formation of society. It does not seek to assess the truth claims of different symbolic universes, and this is part of its great utility. I think it is a must read for anyone concerned about the clash of cultures along the faith-line in the coming century, and also anyone interested in social transformation of their own community.Read full review...

Great Simple Book with no heavy baggage to lift to get to the end

Peter Ludwig Berger has made a mark in his critical understanding of Social Construction of Reality which I have struggled to understand in terms of individuals and culture as a whole. The work is a landmark and simple to read and grasp the concepts laid out in simple fashion.
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How our perception of reality is shaped by our experience in society.

It discusses in detail a subject I never thought about before. However it is a slow difficult read- but worth the time and effort.

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This Book is a Classic

This book is a must-have for any social scientist. It is a good introduction to constructivism and a classic in sociology.