Reassessing Dilthey’s Social Ontology

AbstractCritics have standardly regarded Sartre’s Critique of Dialectical Reason as an abortive attempt to overcome the subjectivist individualism of his early philosophy, motivated by a recognition that Being and Nothingness lacks ethical and political significance, but derailed by Sartre’s Marxism. In this paper I offer an interpretation of the Critique which, if correct, shows it to offer a coherent and highly original account of social and political reality, which merits attention both in its own right and as a reconstruction of the philosophical foundation of Marxism. The key to Sartre’s theory of collective and historical existence in the Critique is a thesis carried over from Being and Nothingness: intersubjectivity on Sartre’s account is inherently aporetic, and social ontology reproduces in magnified form its limited intelligibility, lack of transparency, and necessary frustration of the demands of freedom. Sartre’s further conjecture – which can be formulated a priori but requires a posteriori verification – is that man’s collective historical existence may be understood as the means by which the antinomy within human freedom, insoluble at the level of the individual, is finally overcome. The Critique provides therefore the ethical theory promised in Being and Nothingness.

Social Ontology and Model-Building: A Response to Epstein

Philosophy of the Social Sciences ◽

10.1177/0048393121991728 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 51 (2) ◽

pp. 176-192

Author(s):

Nadia Ruiz

Keyword(s):

Social Sciences ◽

Social Science ◽

Model Building ◽

Social Ontology ◽

Model Construction ◽

Ontological Commitments ◽

Starting Point ◽

The Social

Brian Epstein has recently argued that a thoroughly microfoundationalist approach towards economics is unconvincing for metaphysical reasons. Generally, Epstein argues that for an improvement in the methodology of social science we must adopt social ontology as the foundation of social sciences; that is, the standing microfoundationalist debate could be solved by fixing economics’ ontology. However, as I show in this paper, fixing the social ontology prior to the process of model construction is optional instead of necessary and that metaphysical-ontological commitments are often the outcome of model construction, not its starting point. By focusing on the practice of modeling in economics the paper provides a useful inroad into the debate about the role of metaphysics in the natural and social sciences more generally.

Constructivist Moral Realism

The Paideia Archive: Twentieth World Congress of Philosophy ◽

10.5840/wcp20-paideia199842788 ◽

1998 ◽

pp. 147-153

Author(s):

J. K. Swindler

Keyword(s):

Social Relations ◽

Moral Realism ◽

Social Ontology ◽

Social Reality ◽

Well Being ◽

Social World ◽

Moral Law ◽

Social Morality ◽

The Social ◽

Social Realm

We are social animals in the sense that we spontaneously invent and continuously re-invent the social realm. But, not unlike other artifacts, once real, social relations, practices, institutions, etc., obey prior laws, some of which are moral laws. Hence, with regard to social reality, we ought to be ontological constructivists and moral realists. This is the view sketched here, taking as points of departure Searle's recent work on social ontology and May's on group morality. Moral and social selves are distinguished to acknowledge that social reality is constructed but social morality is not. It is shown how and why moral law requiring respect for the dignity and well being of agents governs a social world comprising roles that are real only because of their occupants' social intentions.

The Nature of Social Reality: Issues in Social Ontology, by Tony Lawson

Journal of Economic Issues ◽

10.1080/00213624.2020.1829926 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 54 (4) ◽

pp. 1178-1183

Author(s):

William Waller

Keyword(s):

Social Ontology ◽

Social Reality

Introduction: Social Ontology, Culture and Institutions

Topoi ◽

10.1007/s11245-015-9359-7 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 35 (1) ◽

pp. 267-270

Author(s):

Alessandro Salice ◽

Filip Buekens

Keyword(s):

Social Ontology

Social Ontology as Convention

Topoi ◽

10.1007/s11245-008-9036-1 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 27 (1-2) ◽

pp. 139-149 ◽

Cited By ~ 20

Author(s):

Mark H. Bickhard

Keyword(s):

Social Ontology

The nature of social reality: issues in social ontology

Journal of Critical Realism ◽

10.1080/14767430.2021.1930469 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-7

Author(s):

Dave Elder-Vass

Keyword(s):

Social Ontology ◽

Social Reality

Days of post-pandemic future: re-imagining corruption practices in a world that won’t stop changing

Journal of Financial Crime ◽

10.1108/jfc-10-2021-0219 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽

Author(s):

Hendi Yogi Prabowo

Keyword(s):

Practice Theory ◽

Social Ontology ◽

Social Reality ◽

Analytical Framework ◽

Safety Net ◽

Social Practices ◽

Multiple Perspectives ◽

Content Type ◽

International Agencies ◽

The Social

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to propose a new analytical framework in examining corruption from the social ontology perspective by using the Schatzkian practice theory to assess the interconnectedness among social practices constituting the social reality. Design/methodology/approach This exploratory paper is part of the author’s study to assess the complex corruption phenomenon in Indonesia from multiple perspectives to gain a better understanding of its nature and dynamics. By drawing from the existing literature on the Schatzkian practice theory, the COVID-19 pandemic and the corruption phenomenon, this study investigates the potential changes of the new constellation of practice-arrangement bundles within the social reality and how such changes may alter corruption practices in the future. Furthermore, this study also uses publicly available reports from several national and international agencies to explore possible future scenarios from the interconnectedness of corruption, anti-corruption and pandemic practices. This paper constructs a new analytical framework for assessing the corruption phenomenon and designing the most appropriate anti-corruption strategy from such an exploration. The framework also serves as a reference for future anti-corruption research. Findings The author establishes that all social phenomena are constructed by an interconnected, dynamic and ever-changing constellation of practice-arrangement bundles within the social reality. As a largely social phenomenon (at least in Indonesia), corruption is also constructed by webs of practice-arrangement bundles. For decades, corruption practices in Indonesia have always been interconnected with anti-corruption practices in ways that changes in one group of practices will drive changes in the others. With the adoption of the pandemic practices centered around social distancing, social restriction and social safety net, corruption practices appear to transform to adapt to the new environment. Therefore, future anti-corruption research should aim to examine the structure and dynamics of corruption, anti-corruption and pandemic practices to highlight changes or potential changes within the three groups of practices to determine the most appropriate intervention measures and anti-corruption strategy. Research limitations/implications This exploratory study is self-funded and relies primarily on documentary analysis to explore the corruption phenomenon in Indonesia. Future studies will benefit from in-depth interviews with former corruption offenders and corruption investigators. Practical implications This exploratory paper contributes to developing a sound corruption prevention strategy by proposing a new analytical framework for assessing various social practices, particularly those associated with corruption and the COVID-19 pandemic. Originality/value This paper highlights the importance of understanding the structure, interconnectedness and dynamics of social practices, particularly associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, to better understand the corruption phenomenon.