Who has the authority to decide what makes a social construct?

[FiveStarAce]

We all know the Phrase "X, Y, Z, is a social construct" and while there is some truth to it (in the sense that humans think selectively), it also implies that a collective agreements shapes our realities. Then, if 1000 people say "X is true" and 1000 people disagree, wouldn't that mean that there are just two euqally valid social constructs colliding?

I personally know that phrases like this are simple mental Tricks to recontextualize inconvenient truths out of existenten, but it baffles me that this line of thinking has become so prevalent when its the most impractical way to deal with reality.

 

[Useful_Mistake]

Social construct is bunch of philosophical bullshit. The authority forcing our obedience is the government, and fear of punishment.

 

[Whatevermancer]

THE SOCIETY

 

[Gog & Magog]

A social construct is anything decided between two or more individuals. Two men agree the third man is lame and gay for waking up late? Social construct. But if two men agree the third man is lame and gay because he only pisses while sitting? Fact. Indisputable fact.

 

[PovertySprocket]

If you hear "X, Y, Z, is a social construct" , you're not hearing an argument about social construct. You're dealing with a paedo faggot trying to justify their paedo fagottry.

 

[Chaos Theorist]

Social demolishers where we at?

 

[Unarmed Gunman]

The government is just a large, well organized gang. It's no different than a guy with a gun in the alley, and they deserve the same amount of respect. They don't have any unique moral authority, they just use the threat of violence to get their way.

 

[scallion]

THE SOCIETY
View attachment 6574168

 

[libRT]

Well I mean social constructs are defined by society/nature, as much as everyone loves science, The Science™ won't be able to pull bullshit out of their ass forever.

 

[Lucky Larry]

Who do you think it is? Maybe that will get us closer? I am all ears!

 

[ElHijodeDeficienciaCogni]

Me, I do.

 

[Whatevermancer]

View attachment 6574612

The fact that you're so eager to oppress us gamers really says a lot about the society...
And yet we live in a society.

 

[milk]

Depending on how far in history and ideological lineages you want to go, Hegelian related philosophies, or the disciples of the Corpus Hermeticum deem everything we percieve as a social/demiurgic construct, however this must be introduced into society a little a time, until our "simulacrum" (false reality) is pealed back and we become one with the true god/universe.
I don't believe in any of this nonsense, but this is what they believe. The modern incarnation of those philosophies are well... modern leftists and communists ( Hegelianism minus mysticism).

 

[Jive]

The social contrat is decided by who has the bigger gun. Philosophy is just justifications for the good ol' use of force.

 

[Sargon's wife's son]

No one social constructivist theory is nonsense developed by a bunch of communist academics in the 1960s

 

[melty]

If humans didn't exist, would the thing still exist? If not then it's a social construct.

 

[Kapros]

If humans didn't exist, would the thing still exist? If not then it's a social construct.

Showering is a social construct by that measure, but it should still be illegal not to do it.

 

[melty]

Showering is a social construct by that measure, but it should still be illegal not to do it.

Animals keep themselves clean, often with water. Maybe a statement like "you have to shower every day with soap" is a social construct, but cleaning yourself isn't really.

 

[Penis Drager 2.0]

There is no "authority" deciding what is and isn't a social construct any more than there's an authority deciding what is and isn't a chair. Social constructs are defined as that which exists solely as a manifestation of our collective agreement on the matter.
Morality is a social construct. You can't see or touch or taste it. But it exists because our society has a shared sense that some things are "right" or "wrong" without regard to any tangible benefit to the individual.
When people say "gender is a social construct," they're typically stating it as a definition. "Gender" is the set of social norms we associate with, say, masculinity or femininity (these ideas themselves being social constructs) and they're using this definition to distinguish between it and biological sex which is a physical and tangible thing.

There is also the "social constructivist" position that states everything is a social construct on the grounds that the exact defining lines between any one object and another can be made arbitrary with sufficient pedantry but this isn't a common stance among those using this terminology.