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A plea for descriptive social ontology.
Kathrin Koslicki1, Olivier Massin1
1Faculté des Lettres et Sciences Humaines, Institut de Philosophie, University of Neuchâtel, Espace Tilo-Frey, 2000 Neuchâtel, Switzerland.
Synthese
|August 21, 2023
Summary
To adequately describe social phenomena, researchers must initially set aside explanatory commitments like naturalism or individualism. A descriptive social ontology should precede any explanatory projects for unbiased understanding.
Area of Science:
- Social Ontology
- Philosophy of Mind
- Metaphysics
Background:
- Social phenomena are often complicated by pre-existing explanatory commitments, such as naturalism or social individualism.
- Previous approaches to social ontology have sometimes allowed these commitments to bias the initial description of social phenomena.
- Analogous issues exist in the philosophy of mind, where physicalist constraints can influence the description of mental states.
Purpose of the Study:
- To argue for bracketing explanatory commitments when initially describing social phenomena.
- To establish descriptive social ontology as a necessary precursor to explanatory social ontology.
- To propose a framework for unbiased engagement with social phenomena.
Main Methods:
- Distinguishing between descriptive and explanatory approaches to social phenomena.
- Drawing an analogy with the descriptive and explanatory approaches in the philosophy of mind.
- Comparing the proposed descriptive approach with perspectives in general metaphysics (e.g., Aristotle, Strawson, Fine).
Main Results:
- Description and explanation are distinct modes of engaging with social phenomena.
- The descriptive project in social ontology should logically precede the explanatory project.
- An unbiased description is crucial before attempting to reduce social phenomena to non-social elements.
Conclusions:
- Descriptive social ontology is not incompatible with explanatory frameworks but must come first.
- Prioritizing description ensures a more adequate and non-biased understanding of the social world.
- This approach is essential for legitimate explanatory projects in social ontology.
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