The Ontology of Social Agency
-
Frederick Stoutland
Abstract
The main claim of the paper is that there are irreducibly social agents that intentionally perform social actions. It argues, first, that there are social attitudes ascribable to social agents and not to the individuals involved. Second, that social agents, not only individual agents, are capable of what Weber called “subjectively understandable action.” And, third, that although action (if not merely mental) presumes an agent’s moving her body in various ways, actions do not consist of such movements, and hence not only individual persons but social groups are genuine agents. We should be pluralists about individuation, rejecting both individualism and collectivism by granting that social agency is neither more nor less ultimate, well-founded, or basic than non-social agency.
© 2008 by Lucius & Lucius, Stuttgart
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- Logical Empiricism as Critical Theory? The Debate Continues
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- On the Concept of Basic Social Norms
- Two Approaches to Shared Intention: An Essay in the Philosophy of Social Phenomena
- Macht und Metamacht
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- Homo Ökonomikus als Idealtypus. Oder: Das Dilemma des Don Juan
- General Equilibrium Theory and the Rationality of Economics
- Was für ein Problem ist der hermeneutische Zirkel?
- On the Relationship between Political Philosophy and Empirical Sciences
- Analyse und Kritik aus Sicht soziologischer Handlungstheorie
- On Some Problems to Apply the Economic Model of Behaviour in Political Science
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- Theory and Empirical Research in Analytical Sociology: The Case of Cooperation in Problematic Social Situations
- Economic Imperialism
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Articles in the same Issue
- The Long Goodbye: On the Development of Critical Theory
- Die Idee einer Hegelianischen ,Wissenschaft‘ der Gesellschaft
- Logical Empiricism as Critical Theory? The Debate Continues
- On Critical Theory
- Ethics and Social Ontology
- Reconsidering Relational Autonomy. Personal Autonomy for Socially Embedded and Temporally Extended Selves
- On the Concept of Basic Social Norms
- Two Approaches to Shared Intention: An Essay in the Philosophy of Social Phenomena
- Macht und Metamacht
- The Ontology of Social Agency
- Homo Ökonomikus als Idealtypus. Oder: Das Dilemma des Don Juan
- General Equilibrium Theory and the Rationality of Economics
- Was für ein Problem ist der hermeneutische Zirkel?
- On the Relationship between Political Philosophy and Empirical Sciences
- Analyse und Kritik aus Sicht soziologischer Handlungstheorie
- On Some Problems to Apply the Economic Model of Behaviour in Political Science
- Social Rationality, Semi-Modularity and Goal-Framing: What Is It All About?
- Theory and Empirical Research in Analytical Sociology: The Case of Cooperation in Problematic Social Situations
- Economic Imperialism
- Inseln der Rationalität: Wie überwindet man fehlerhafte Entscheidungen auf dem Markt, in der Wissenschaft und in der Politik?
