Social constructivism: a flawed debate over conceptual foundations

This article critically examines the conceptual foundations of Social Constructivism within the context of ecological and materialist debates. It engages in an immanent critique of Social Constructivist claims, questioning their logical coherence, epistemological assumptions, and political implications. The analysis situates Social Constructivism within broader philosophical traditions, particularly Kantian and Hegelian thought, and highlights its tensions with materialist conceptions of nature. The author identifies key challenges, including relativism, self-refutation, and incommensurability, which undermine the theoretical consistency of Social Constructivism. Furthermore, the paper explores the practical consequences of these conceptual issues for environmental politics, arguing that Social Constructivist frameworks, while advocating pluralism and social agency, risk reinforcing political paralysis and undermining objective constraints on ecological crisis. Ultimately, the article contends that the debate between materialist and idealist conceptions of nature is deeply flawed, necessitating a rethinking of the philosophical underpinnings of ecological theory.