The article reveals the heuristic potential of the category «social order», proposed by the author to study the complexity of social systems. Based on historical and sociological material and conceptual analysis, the author demonstrates the potential of this category from the sociology of knowledge perspective. The problem of operationalization of the category «social order» is analyzed. It is emphasized that the key heuristic in this problem is the isolation and construction of the concept "cardinality of the order», which, by analogy with set theory, is understood as a generalization of the number of elements of order, that is the number of existing or possible connections. The definition, systemic connections and methods of operationalization and indication of the categories «social», «order of social», «cardinality of order» are given and analyzed. A separate accent is placed on the analysis of how the category «cardinality of order» allows us to synthesize micro- and macro-issues of research on the social order. The connection of the social order with freedom as a social construct at the macro level, as well as the structures of order with the event processes at the micro level are the most important plots. In addition, an important plot is the ratio of production and consumption of the social order in terms of growth (differentiation) or decline (dedifferentiation) of order power. The figures of «normal actor» (involved in his daily occurrence), producer and consumer of order of social as factors of dynamics of this order are important in this plot. The possibilities of the sociology of knowledge in the study of the social order are investigated. Particular emphasis is placed on the role of imagination as a way of producing social and social order. The conclusion is formulated on the possibilities and limitations of operationalization and indication of the social order through micro- and macro-parameters.
Peter L. Berger and the sociology of religion
