FWeinert, Bradford University (UK)1 Friedel Weinert: Philosophy of the Social Sciences Year II: Semester II SS-2000M Standard Issues, Continued Holism-Individualism Lecture IX

FWeinert, Bradford University (UK)2 Standard Issues: Individualism and Holism The Individualism-Holism Question +Individualism +social facts are the sum of individual facts +social facts are like average ages, not referring to reality +‘bottom-up’ approach: regard the individual actions as basic/ social structures are the outcome of individual actions +Example: J.S. Mill Derive the ‘phenomena’ of society from the phenomena of human nature, I.e. the actions and passions of individuals united in a social world

FWeinert, Bradford University (UK)3 *Holism or Collectivism *there is a distinct order of social facts, over and above the totality of facts about its individual members *social facts constitute external constraints on individuals *moral duties, customs & traditions *language, financial systems * properties of social situations cannot be derived from aggregates of single individuals *‘social facts’ explain their individual manifestations, so they cannot be identical with them *‘top down’ approach: attempt to explain the action of individuals by reference to underlying social structure *Example Standard Issues: Individualism and Holism

FWeinert, Bradford University (UK)4  Marx: economic structure determines individual thought & actions  Durkheim: suicide rates related to degrees of social integration Disputes about ontology (‘what there is’)  Holism: social world consists of social and economic structures and relations over and above the individual members of society; these structures have determining influence on individuals  Individualism: there are only individuals and the relations between them; many social phenomena can be explained as the aggregate consequence of the purposive actions of a large number of individuals Disputes about explanation åwhat elements are required for an explanation of social reality? Standard Issues: Individualism and Holism

FWeinert, Bradford University (UK)5 Standard Issues: Individualism and Holism

FWeinert, Bradford University (UK)6 #Distinction ¬What constitutes social facts? ­How to explain social facts? ¬Durkheim:  sum is more than its parts {analogy: engine}  social system = individuals + relations between them  social system has reality of its own  no collective phenomenon without existence of individuals, as necessary condition  social structures, institutions - states, economies, contracts, legal systems, traditions, revolutions - are constituted by ensemble of individuals and behaviour which underlie them  but Standard Issues: Individualism and Holism

FWeinert, Bradford University (UK)7 ¬Durkheim  social facts are not reducible to individual facts  social facts are types of conduct or thought  a) external to individual  b) coercive power  social facts can be explained without explaining their individual components  Ontological Individualism & Methodological Holism  problems with explanation of individual behaviour  can have social generalisation to explain social facts without knowing appropriate ‘individual’ generalisation  Example Standard Issues: Individualism and Holism

FWeinert, Bradford University (UK)8  Economics  determination of price a a function of supply and demand  statistical element  Invisible Hand  Weber’s Ideal Types  construction of ‘pure’ types: economic agent/traditional authority/capitalism/feudalism  Example: Supply and Demand Curve Standard Issues: Individualism and Holism