Among distinguished sociologists, Peter Ludwig Berger, American sociologist born in Austria. Peter Ludwig Berger is known for his work in the sociology of religion and the sociology of knowledge. His book, co-authored with Thomas Luckmann, The Social Construction of Reality: A Treatise in the Sociology of Knowledge (New York, 1966), is played a central role in the development of social constructionism. Peter Ludwig Berger's interests include social theory, the sociology of religion, the sociology of the family and political sociology. Berger's approach to sociology was humanist with special emphasis on "value-free" analysis.
Peter Ludwig Berger's works are influenced by classical sociology and phenomenological sociology, and his work tries to reconcile human autonomy with the coercive powers of social structure in a sociology of interpretation. Peter Ludwig Berger founded The Institute on Culture, Religion, and World Affairs at Boston University in 1985. Some of the questions it attempts to answer are:
How do religion and values affect political, economic, and public ethical developments around the world?
Why have religious actors and ideas become more rather than less globally powerful in recent years?
What are the implications of the revival of public religion for citizenship, democracy, and civil coexistence?
The Institute on Culture, Religion, and World Affairs has over 140 projects in 40 countries. The reality of everyday life is taken for granted as reality. It does not require additional verification over and beyond its simple presence. It is simply there, as self-evident and compelling facticity. Berger, Peter L (1966). The Social Construction of Reality: a Treatise in the Sociology of Knowledge. Garden City, New York: Anchor. Peter Ludwig Berger's works include: Invitation to Sociology (1963); The Social Construction of Reality (1966); The Sacred Canopy (1967); The Home-less Mind (1973); Facing up to Modernity (1977); The War Over the Family (1983); The Capitalist Revolution (1986).