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Causally Redundant Social Objects: Rejoinder to Elder-Vass

Hansson Wahlberg, Tobias LU (2014) In Philosophy of the Social Sciences 44(6). p.798-809
Abstract
In Elder-Vass’s response to my (2014) it is maintained: (1) that a social object is not identical with but is merely composed of its suitably interrelated parts; (2) that a social object is necessarily indistinguishable in terms of its causal capacities from its interrelated parts; and (3) that ontological individualism lacks an adequate ontological justification (Elder-Vass forthcoming). In this reply, I argue that in view of (1) the so-called redescription principle defended by Elder-Vass ought to be reformulated and renamed; that the conjunction of (1) and (2) renders social objects causally redundant; and that ontological individualism can be coherently formulated and theoretically justified within Elder-Vass’s own metaphysics of... (More)
In Elder-Vass’s response to my (2014) it is maintained: (1) that a social object is not identical with but is merely composed of its suitably interrelated parts; (2) that a social object is necessarily indistinguishable in terms of its causal capacities from its interrelated parts; and (3) that ontological individualism lacks an adequate ontological justification (Elder-Vass forthcoming). In this reply, I argue that in view of (1) the so-called redescription principle defended by Elder-Vass ought to be reformulated and renamed; that the conjunction of (1) and (2) renders social objects causally redundant; and that ontological individualism can be coherently formulated and theoretically justified within Elder-Vass’s own metaphysics of objects with causal powers. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
causal power, critical realism, emergence, mereology, ontological individualism, social structure
in
Philosophy of the Social Sciences
volume
44
issue
6
pages
798 - 809
publisher
SAGE Publications
external identifiers
  • wos:000344683900006
  • scopus:84908539794
ISSN
0048-3931
DOI
10.1177/0048393114521364
project
Social Ontology and Theories of Persistence
Metaphysics and Collectivity
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
77af57e8-e4a6-4008-b8f7-6d05643b5258 (old id 4245353)
alternative location
http://pos.sagepub.com/content/44/6/798.full.pdf+html
date added to LUP
2016-04-01 09:52:49
date last changed
2022-02-17 04:26:55
@article{77af57e8-e4a6-4008-b8f7-6d05643b5258,
  abstract     = {{In Elder-Vass’s response to my (2014) it is maintained: (1) that a social object is not identical with but is merely composed of its suitably interrelated parts; (2) that a social object is necessarily indistinguishable in terms of its causal capacities from its interrelated parts; and (3) that ontological individualism lacks an adequate ontological justification (Elder-Vass forthcoming). In this reply, I argue that in view of (1) the so-called redescription principle defended by Elder-Vass ought to be reformulated and renamed; that the conjunction of (1) and (2) renders social objects causally redundant; and that ontological individualism can be coherently formulated and theoretically justified within Elder-Vass’s own metaphysics of objects with causal powers.}},
  author       = {{Hansson Wahlberg, Tobias}},
  issn         = {{0048-3931}},
  keywords     = {{causal power; critical realism; emergence; mereology; ontological individualism; social structure}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{6}},
  pages        = {{798--809}},
  publisher    = {{SAGE Publications}},
  series       = {{Philosophy of the Social Sciences}},
  title        = {{Causally Redundant Social Objects: Rejoinder to Elder-Vass}},
  url          = {{https://lup.lub.lu.se/search/files/1348131/5050484.pdf}},
  doi          = {{10.1177/0048393114521364}},
  volume       = {{44}},
  year         = {{2014}},
}