A Hegelian Logic of ‘Us’: Implicit Forms and Explicit Representations of Actions and Practices

Abstract

In order to understand Hegel's gnomic oracle according to which the ‘I’ is a ‘We’, the notion of a personal subject is explained by its competence to perform personal roles in a pre-given partition of roles. Explicit divisions of labour by contractual promises are special cases that presuppose the general case of an already established social practice. On the other hand, methodological individualism is right to stress that we actualize joint intentions only via corresponding instantiations. In performing our parts, we form a plural subject, a we-group. The result of what each of us does is what we do, and the generic ‘We’ turns into the generic ‘I’.

I that is We and We that is I: A Defense of Methodological Holism and the Primacy of Collective Agency

“…under the principle of homo economicus. The reason is that collective behavior aims at the general or common good that supersedes a singular individual's interest (Stekeler, 2019). 9.…”

“…Guala, 2022). Several conspicuous anti-psychologists claim the irreducibility of social events to individuals' psychology (Jackson, Pettit, 1992b: 103f;Haslanger, 2015Haslanger, , 2022Stekeler, 2019). We may very well argue with good reason that the increase in criminal activity is caused by heat.…”