Epistemic and Ethical Constraints in Personal and Social Constructions: A Response to Raskin and Debany.

In response to Raskin and Debany's lead article (<xref>this issue</xref>), I offer support for their general conclusion that ethical implications are inescapable in relation to any version of constructionism, and concur that the frequent characterization of constructivism as ultimately reducing to a position of “anything goes” is not sustainable. I depart from Raskin and Debany on the question of whether an integrative framework for constructivist positions is possible, especially in relation to questions concerning the ethical dimension. I suggest that the reasons for considering the anything goes charge inappropriate are different for different versions of constructivism, and illustrate with analysis of the ethical dimensions of personal construct theory and social constructionism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]