Naturalizing Critical Realist Social Ontology by Tuukka Kaidesoja

Author:Tuukka Kaidesoja [Kaidesoja, Tuukka]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Social Science, Sociology, General
ISBN: 9781135014162
Google: RcwcAAAAQBAJ
Publisher: Routledge
Published: 2013-07-18T04:48:03+00:00

6 Naturalizing social ontology

Social systems and human action

Introduction

In his much-discussed book, Creativity of Action, social theorist Hans Joas (1996, 222) argues that action theory should be supplemented by a systems theory that is based upon an action theory, because this is the only way to avoid problems that are related to methodological individualism and traditional functionalism. He thus contends that:

What seems desirable is a ‘realistic’ use of a systems model which is based on a theory of individual and collective action. By ‘realistic’ I mean in this context that [contra Luhmann’s and Parsons’ systems theories – T.K.] systems analysis is restricted to the real reciprocal effects of the interactions between social actors. […] Indeed only this sort of ‘realistic’ use of systems theory allows us to tackle one of the most urgent desiderata of current social theory, namely a consideration of the effects of processes within the societies on the natural environment of social units.

(ibid., 222, 232)

In my view, Mario Bunge’s (e.g. 1996, 2003) realistic and naturalistic ontology of social systems is a promising candidate for an ontology which meets the desiderata proposed by Joas. This is because Bunge’s social ontology not only forms a middle path between the individualist and holist ontologies, but is also built upon the theory of social action and conceptualizes social systems as concrete entities located in specific societal and ecological environments. In accordance with this social ontology, Bunge has developed, too, a systemic methodology for empirical social research that both avoids collapsing to methodological individualism and makes a distinction between functional analysis and mechanismic causal explanations. In many respects, Bunge’s philosophy of the social sciences also resembles that of critical realism but, as I shall argue, it avoids many of the problems and ambiguities of the latter.

The first aim of this chapter is to outline Bunge’s systemic (or systemist) social ontology and to demonstrate in what respects it is superior to the critical realist social ontology. I begin by reviewing the key concepts of systemic social ontology and some of the methodological implications of this ontology. I also try to show how it avoids certain problems found in the critical realist social ontology. Furthermore, I will indicate some shortcomings in Bunge’s conceptions of social mechanisms, mental states and semiotic systems. Then I move on to consider the relationship between Bunge’s account of causal relations and the theory of causal powers. This enables me to indicate some further differences and similarities between Bunge’s social ontology and that of the original critical realism. On the basis of this analysis, it will be contended that the naturalist notion of causal power could be usefully incorporated to Bunge’s social ontology whereas the transcendental account of causal powers is incompatible with it. After that, I will show how Bunge’s ontology of social systems can be employed to clarify the meanings and the relations of some of the core concepts of social theory, such as social class, class-based organization, social status and status group.

In the latter part of the chapter,

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