The philosophy of social practices: a collective acceptance view

287 Pages·2002·1.09 MB·English

by  Raimo Tuomela

THE PHILOSOPHY OF
SOCIAL PRACTICES
Thisisthefirstsystematicphilosophicalandconceptualstudyofthe
notionofasocialpractice.RaimoTuomelaexplainssocialpractices
intermsoftheinterlockingmentalstatesoftheagents;heshowshow
socialpractices(forexamplecustomsandtraditions)are“building
blocksofsociety”;andheoffersaclearandpowerfulaccountofthe
wayinwhichsocialinstitutionsareconstructedfromthesebuilding
blocksasestablished,interconnectedsetsofsocialpracticeswitha
specialnewsocialstatus.Hisanalysisisbasedonthenovelconcept
ofshared“we-attitudes,”whichrepresentaweakformofcollective
intentionality,andhemakesinstructiveconnectionstomajortopics
and figures in philosophy and the social sciences. His book will
be of interest to a wide range of readers in philosophy of mind,
philosophyofsocialscience,psychologyandsociology,andartificial
intelligence.
  is Professor of Philosophy at the University of
Helsinki. His recent publications include The Importance of Us: A
Philosophical Study of Basic Social Notions (), and Cooperation: A
PhilosophicalStudy().
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THE PHILOSOPHY OF
SOCIAL PRACTICES
A Collective Acceptance View

RAIMO TUOMELA
PUBLISHED BY CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS (VIRTUAL PUBLISHING)
FOR AND ON BEHALF OF THE PRESS SYNDICATE OF THE UNIVERSITY OF
CAMBRIDGE
The Pitt Building, Trumpington Street, Cambridge CB2 IRP
40 West 20th Street, New York, NY 10011-4211, USA
477 Williamstown Road, Port Melbourne, VIC 3207, Australia

http://www.cambridge.org

© Raimo Tuomela 2002
This edition © Raimo Tuomela 2003

First published in printed format 2002

A catalogue record for the original printed book is available
from the British Library and from the Library of Congress
Original ISBN 0 521 81860 5 hardback

ISBN 0 511 02077 5 virtual (netLibrary Edition)
Tomyfriend,WolfgangBalzer
This Page Intentionally Left Blank
Contents
List of figures page ix
Acknowledgments x
Introduction 
 Collectiveintentionalityandtheconstructionofthesocial
world 
. Wideandnarrowsocialconstructivism 
. Thecontentsofthisbook 
 Collectiveintentionality 
. Introductiontocollectiveintentionality 
. Collectiveintentionssurveyed 
. Sharedwe-attitudes 
. Collectiveintentiontoacttogether 
. Mutualbelief 

Appendix:thewe-modeandtheI-mode
 Conceptualactivity,rulefollowing,andsocialpractices 
. Introduction 
. Sellarsonconceptualactivity 
. Canconceptualitybenoncircularlycharacterized? 
. Elementaryconceptualactivity 
. Collectivepattern-governedbehavior 
. Aresocialpracticesrequiredforconceptuality? 
. Conclusion 
 Anaccountofsocialpractices 
. Introduction 
. Collectivesocialaction 
. Whataresocialpractices? 
. Thesesregardingcoresocialpractices 
. Presuppositionalandmotivationalreasons 
vii
viii Contents
. Customsandotherkindsofsocialpractices 
. Conclusion 
 ACollectiveAcceptanceaccountofcollective-social
notions 
. Introduction 
. ThebasicfeaturesoftheCollectiveAcceptanceaccount 
. TheCollectiveAcceptanceaccountmadeprecise 
. Collectivecommitment 
. Qualificationsandadditions 
. Collectiveacceptanceassharedwe-attitude 
. Conclusion 
 Socialinstitutions 
. Socialinstitutionsintroduced 
. Thebasicideas 
. Thefinalaccount 
. Searleonsocialinstitutions 
. Socialorganizationsandinstitutionalsocialpractices 
. Conclusion 

Appendix:Institutionconceptsasreflexiveconcepts
 Socialpracticesinadynamiccontext:amathematical
analysis 
. Introduction 
. Preconditionsofsocialpractices 
. Statesandsentences 
. Frames 
. Socialpracticesmathematicallyanalyzed 
. Towardsasocialdynamics 
. Theindividuallevel 
. Anexampleofasocialpractice 
. Socialnorms,task-rightsystems,andsocialinstitutions 
. Conclusion 
Epilogue 
Notes 
References 
Index 
Figures
 Collectivesocialaction page
 Patternofasocialpractice 
 Flowchartofsocialdynamics 
 Developedflowchartofsocialdynamics 
 Socialinstitutionmodel 
 Normativelyadmittedpractices 
ix