thought style

is a socially constructed ordering of argument. Thought styles organize perceptions of reality in different ways. They are traceable back to a specific social group and its quest to influence the public interpretation of reality.

Mannheim never explicitly defined this notion of his anywhere in his writings on the sociology of knowledge. One way to formulate it, however, can be deduced from his texts: a thought style is a socially constructed ordering of arguments that is traceable back to a specific social group and its quest to influence the public interpretation of reality. The concept of thought style is central not least to the explanation of why groups seldom reach consensus in politically laden issues: different thought styles depart from radically different premises and assumptions (Mannheim 1955, p. 147). Behind the general concept of 'thinking' one, in fact, thus finds several different ways of thinking, each one approaching reality from its own particular point of departure... each thought style organizes perceptions of reality in different ways. In his essay on Conservatism dating from 1925 (Mannheim 1986), Mannheim illustrates this heterogeneity of political thought by showing how 'conservative,' 'liberal,' and 'socialist' thought styles approach the question of political legitimacy.'

thought style, n.Definitions

thought style