The Philosophy of Social Practices A Collective Acceptance View

This is a systematic philosophical study of the notion of a social practice.

This is a systematic philosophical and conceptual study of the notion of a social practice. Raimo Tuomela explains social practices in terms of the interlocking mental states of the agents; he shows how social practices (for example customs and traditions) are 'building blocks of society'; and he offers a clear and powerful account of the way in which social institutions are constructed from these building blocks as established, interconnected sets of social practices with a special new social status. His analysis is based on the novel concept of shared 'we-attitudes', which represent a weak form of collective intentionality, and he makes instructive connections to major topics and figures in philosophy and the social sciences. His book will be of interest to a wide range of readers in philosophy of mind, philosophy of social science, psychology and sociology, and artificial intelligence.

List of figures; Acknowledgements; Introduction; 1. Collective intentionality and the construction of the social world; 2. Collective intentionality; 3. Conceptual activity, rule following and social practices; 4. An account of social practices; 5. A collective acceptance account of collective-social notions; 6. Social institutions; 7. Social practices in a dynamic context: a mathematical analysis; Epilogue; Notes; References; Index.

Raimo Tuomela shows how social practices (for example customs and traditions) are 'building blocks of society', and he offers a clear and powerful account of the way in which social institutions are constructed from these building blocks as established, interconnected sets of social practices with a special new social status.

Raimo Tuomela is Professor of Philosophy at the University of Helsinki. His publications include The Importance of Us: A Philosophical Study of Basic Social Notions (1995), and Cooperation: A Philosophical Study (2000).