We, Together The Social Ontology of Us

Who are we and what do we do as agents living together?

In We, Together, Hans Bernhard Schmid argues, first, that our living together is a joint activity. Joint activities involve shared intentions, and shared intentions have plural intentional subjects. We are, thus, the plural subjects of our shared intentions in the same way as we are the singular subjects of our individual intentions: through pre-reflective self-awareness. Just as there is no substantive, singular "self," "I," or ego, there is no substantive "we." In order to understand who we are, together, it is important to see that intentional subjects are a feature of intentionality.

Schmid continues with the assertion that the social worlds of roles and statuses, norms and structures, institutions and artifacts are our ways of living together. As such, the social worlds are determined neither by Nature nor Gods, but by us. What can be harmful, Schmid writes, is our frequent and systematic failure to understand our own place as both creatures and creators of social worlds. This brings We, Together back to our existence as plural intentional subjects. How we live together is up to us, together. The book suggests that understanding this might enable us to do better--to live well, better, together.

Hans Bernhard Schmid is Professor of Political and Social Philosophy at the University of Vienna. He received training in Sociology, Philosophy, and the History of the Middle Ages at the University of Basel, where he was also an SNRF Research Professor of Philosophy (2006-2011). Previous positions include Visiting Researcher with the Graduate Faculty at the New School for Social Research and Lecturer at the universities of St. Gallen, Basel, and Freiburg. Schmid is a co-founder of the International Social Ontology Society (ISOS) and the Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Social Ontology.

Contents

Preface: We who?

Introduction: Fundamental Social Ontology

I. Acting Together
1) Living Together
2) What's Shared in Shared Intention?
3) The Content of Shared Intention
4) The Subject of Shared Intention
5) The Mode of Shared Intention
6) So Who's "the We"?

II. We as Plural Subjects
7) What is an Intentional Subject?
8) The Case for Singularism
9) Why Pluralism?
10) Plural Self-Identification
11) We who? Kita!
12) Plural Self-Validation
13) Plural Self-Commitment
14) Plural Self-Authorization
15) Plural Intentional Subjects

III. Conceiving of Ourselves
16) Socialization: Joining in
17) Community: Being Together
18) Social Norms: Doing it Our Way
19) Society: Playing our Roles
20) Politics: Achieving Autonomy
21) Ethics: Owning up to Ourselves

Postscript: Philosophizing Together

References