Ma`rifat Falsafi

This article makes no claim to originality -neither in terms of content or thesis, nor in proposing a new scientific curiosity or addressing a pressing issue. Rather, it attempts to rearticulate the clear and established principles of one branch of knowledge (namely philosophy) in a simple and minimal wording for the benefit of another branch (namely sociology), which typically lacks such foundations and only engages with them out of necessity or practical demand. This effort is pursued through a periodization and review of epistemological developments, framed around one of the most significant dualities in this field, i.e. object and subject. By tracing their often divergent ups and downs, the article offers a brief account of the major schools of thought and theories, along with a concise comparative analysis. The outcomes can assist sociology and other branches of the humanities in engaging with specialized epistemological debates more thoughtfully and with a commanding view at their deep-seated literature.