On the role of social interaction in individual agency
Adaptive Behavior 17 (5):444-460 (2009)
| Abstract | Is an individual agent constitutive of or constituted by its social interactions? This question is typically not asked in the cognitive sciences, so strong is the consensus that only individual agents have constitutive efficacy. In this article we challenge this methodological solipsism and argue that interindividual relations and social context do not simply arise from the behavior of individual agents, but themselves enable and shape the individual agents on which they depend. For this, we define the notion of autonomy as both a characteristic of individual agents and of social interaction processes. We then propose a number of ways in which interactional autonomy can influence individuals. Then we discuss recent work in modeling on the one hand and psychological investigations on the other that support and illustrate this claim. Finally, we discuss some implications for research on social and individual agency. | |||||||||
| Keywords | agency participatory sense-making social interaction individual enaction perceptual crossing modeling autonomy cognitive gap coordination | |||||||||
| Categories | ||||||||||
| Options |
|
|||||||||
Download options| PhilPapers Archive |
  |
| External links | This entry has no external links. Add one. |
| Through your library | Configure |
Similar books and articlesHans Bernhard Schmid (2008). Plural Action. Philosophy of the Social Sciences 38 (1):25-54.
Mason Cash (2010). Extended Cognition, Personal Responsibility, and Relational Autonomy. Phenomenology and the Cognitive Sciences 9 (4):645-671.
Thomas Fuchs & Hanne de Jaegher (2009). Enactive Intersubjectivity: Participatory Sense-Making and Mutual Incorporation. Phenomenology and the Cognitive Sciences 8 (4).
Shaun Gallagher (2011). Strong Interaction and Self-Agency. Humana.Mente 15:55-76.
Mitchell Herschbach (2012). On the Role of Social Interaction in Social Cognition: A Mechanistic Alternative to Enactivism. Phenomenology and the Cognitive Sciences 11 (4):467-486.
Hanne De Jaegher (2009). Social Understanding Through Direct Perception? Yes, by Interacting. Consciousness & Cognition 18 (2):535-542.
Hanne De Jaegher & Ezequiel Di Paolo (2007). Participatory Sense-Making. Phenomenology and the Cognitive Sciences 6 (4):485-507.
Hanne de Jaegher, Ezequiel di Paolo & Shaun Gallagher (2010). Can Social Interaction Constitute Social Cognition? Trends in Cognitive Sciences 14 (10):441-447.
Analytics
Monthly downloads |
Added to index2009-12-06Total downloads61 ( #15,537 of 549,119 )Recent downloads (6 months)31 ( #1,424 of 549,119 )How can I increase my downloads? |
My notes
Discussion
