This reissue (1975) is an examination of the theoretical foundation of the sociology of art and literature and an in-depth study in the sociology of knowledge. In discussing and clarifying some of the important philosophical issues in this field, the constant underlying reference is to the creative and artistic-expressive areas of knowledge.

1. The Sociology of Art and the Sociology of Knowledge 2. The Constitution of Knowledge 2.1. The Phenomenology of Knowledge and the Social Construction of the World 2.2. Language and Knowledge of the World 2.3. Knowledge and Interest – Ideology 3. The Problems of the Sociology of Knowledge 3.1. Relativity and the Problem of Objective Knowledge 3.2. Knowledge and Reality 3.3. Cross-Cultural Understanding 3.4. The Levels and Varieties of Knowledge 3.5. Structure and the Individual 3.6. The Concept of a World-View 3.7. Epistemology and Ontology 4. The Sociology of Art and the Concept of a World-View 4.1. The Concept of a World-View 4.2. Metalinguistics and the Concept of a World-View 5. Concepts of Collective Consciousness 5.1. Levi-Strauss 5.2. Goldmann 5.3. Durkheim 5.4. Parsons 6. Hermeneutic Philosophy and the Sociology of Knowledge 7. Conclusion: Towards a Hermeneutic Sociology of Art