Living Together

Rationality, Sociality, and Obligation

By (author) Margaret Gilbert University of Connecticut

Publication date:

19 September 1996

Length of book:

320 pages

Publisher

Rowman & Littlefield Publishers

Dimensions:

231x164mm
6x9"

ISBN-13: 9780847681501

Following up her landmark work On Social Facts, this collection of essays by noted social philosopher Margaret Gilbert develops and deepens her theory of social groups as "plural subjects." She asks, how far can our rationality take us when we pursue our personal goals? What does it mean to be a member of a group? Does group membership involve obligations and rights, and, if so, how? Gilbert argues that, in order to understand the social dimensions of human life, we must go beyond the prevailing "game theoretic" picture of people acting as independent individuals, to incorporate their situation as group members, or plural subjects bound together by joint commitments. Her new theory of obligation will be of interest to scholars engaged in empirical research as well as to philosophers and social and political theorists.
Living Together greatly develops the account in her ground-breaking book, On Social Facts. With great originality, depth, and insight, and with care, she investigates such topics as agreements, collective belief, political obligation, and the experience of guilt for actions of a group to which one belongs. This book should be read by anyone interested in political, legal, or social philosophy.