BETWEEN SCIENCE AND ART: EPISTEMOLOGICAL CHALLENGES IN CONTEMPORARY SOCIAL SCIENCES

Abstract

This article aims to discuss the epistemological challenges of contemporary Social Sciences through a theoretical and reflective analysis of the limits of the positivist paradigm and the emergence of critical, interpretative, and plural epistemologies. The study is based on a qualitative approach, of bibliographic and hermeneutic nature, engaging with classical and contemporary authors such as Max Weber, Boaventura de Sousa Santos, Robert Nisbet, Hartmut Rosa, and Marshall Berman. The analysis shows that knowledge production in Social Sciences requires the articulation between methodological rigor, interpretative sensitivity, and the recognition of epistemic diversity. It concludes that sociology, beyond being a descriptive science, is configured as an ethical, aesthetic, and political practice committed to the understanding and transformation of society.