The Destruction of the classics of sociology

The critique of the political-epistemic selectivity represented by the classics of sociology (Marx/Durkheim/Weber) has become a recurring theme in contemporary sociological theory. In response to this new orthodox consensus, the aim of this study is to critically examine aspects of both international and Brazilian discussions that challenge a presumed canon of sociology. After characterizing the main approaches of criticism directed at the classics within Brazilian research, based on the distinction between history and systematics, certain theoretical problems present in the discussion were identified. First, it is noted that the historical parameters employed are unidimensional; second, the epistemological assumptions underlying the critique of the classics tend to lead sociology towards an inadvertent paradigmatic homogenization. Given the collapse of the historical dimension of sociology as a zone for theoretical negotiation, the third part of the study outlines brief suggestions for rethinking the systematic character of sociological theory, either through historically informed research guided by systematics or by returning to general sociology.