The Mark of the Social: Discovery Or Invention?John D. Greenwood Behavior, language, development, identity, and science--all of these phenomena are commonly characterized as 'social' in nature. But what does it mean to be 'social'? Is there any intrinsic 'mark' of the social shared by these phenomena? In the first book to shed light on this foundational question, twelve distinguished philosophers and social scientists from several disciplines debate the mark of the social. Their varied answers will be of interest to sociologists, anthropologists, philosophers, psychologists, and anyone interested in the theoretical foundations of the social sciences. |
Contents
The Mark of The Social | 1 |
Concerning Sociality The Plural Subject as Paradigm | 17 |
A Definition of Social Phenomena for the Social Sciences | 37 |
The Mark of the Social in the Social Sciences | 59 |
How Many Kinds of Things Are There in the World? The Ontological Status of Societies | 81 |
The Nature and Dynamics of The Social among Humans | 105 |
The Body and the Social | 133 |
Social Explanation | 153 |
The Meaning of Social | 183 |
Crews Clubs Crowds and Classes The Social as a Discursive Category | 199 |
Social Theory in Context Relational Humanism | 213 |
Life Beyond the Edge of Nature? Or The Mirage of Society | 231 |
The Reversible Imaginary Baudrillard and the End of The Social | 253 |
| 273 | |
About the Contributors | |
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activity acts agency analysis animals argued Baudrillard behavior regularities biological bodily body capacities causal Chapter characterized Chicago chimpanzee cognitive collective complex concept constituted constructionist context crime cultural definition discussion distinction domain Durkheim Émile Durkheim emotions entities environment equifinality ethnomethodology example existence experience explain feeling Georg Simmel gestures Gilbert hominids human action human sociality humanist hyperreality individual interaction interpersonal involve joint commitment Joseph Margolis kind language limbic system Margaret Gilbert meaning mechanisms mind moral neocortex nonhuman notion object ontological organisms particular persons phenomenon philosophy physical plural subject predicative primate principle properties psychology refer relationship relevant rituals role Rom Harré sense Simmel social action social behavior Social Facts social groups social phenomena Social Psychology social relations social science social structure Social Theory social world Sociology species symbolic symbolic interactionism things tion understanding University Press visual walking Weber York