In The Elementary Form of Religious Life, Emile Durkheim refutes:

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Correct option is D

Kantian epistemology as it is based on idealistic and aprioristic assumption.

Emile Durkheim, in his work The Elementary Forms of Religious Life, critiques various philosophical and epistemological traditions that emphasize abstract, idealistic, and aprioristic assumptions. Among the given options, Kantian epistemology is the one Durkheim specifically refutes.

• Kantian epistemology posits that human knowledge is shaped by a priori categories (such as time, space, and causality) that are inherent to human cognition, independent of experience. Durkheim critiques this, emphasizing that knowledge and religious phenomena must be studied from a sociological perspective rooted in empirical, social facts rather than abstract, idealistic assumptions.

Durkheim argues that religion and its understanding should not be detached from societal and collective experiences, which are empirical, rather than based on purely philosophical, idealistic frameworks like those proposed by Kant.

Information Booster:

• Kantian Epistemology (D): Immanuel Kant argued that knowledge is shaped by inherent structures of the human mind, which organize sensory input. According to Kant, we cannot have knowledge of things in themselves but only of things as they appear to us. Durkheim rejects this, arguing that religion must be understood through collective, social experiences rather than abstract philosophical principles.
• Idealism: Kant’s idealism focuses on the idea that the mind plays a central role in constructing reality. Durkheim, by contrast, emphasizes empirical sociology, which relies on external, observable facts to understand social phenomena, including religion.
• Aprioristic Assumptions: These are assumptions made about knowledge without relying on sensory experience, and Durkheim critiques this for not adequately reflecting the social facts that shape religion. He advocates for a more grounded approach based on collective experiences.

Additional Information:

• Comteian Epistemology (A): Auguste Comte’s positivism is based on empirical observation and the scientific method, which Durkheim aligns more closely with. Comte advocates for understanding human behavior through scientific laws, which Durkheim also supports in his sociological methods.
• Hegelian Epistemology (B): Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel's philosophy emphasizes the role of absolute spirit and dialectical reasoning. Durkheim criticizes the overly abstract and metaphysical assumptions of Hegelian philosophy, but Hegel's epistemology isn't specifically targeted in The Elementary Forms of Religious Life in the same way Kant’s is.
• Weberian Epistemology (C): Max Weber’s emphasis on understanding individual actions through subjective meaning is somewhat at odds with Durkheim’s focus on social facts. However, Durkheim's critiques of idealism do not target Weber’s work directly in this context, as Weber’s sociology is more focused on understanding motivations and meanings in society.