On Plural Subject Theory

Holding Them Responsible

“…1 1 The materialist view of groups has been defended (in different ways) by, inter alia , Hirsch (1992), Gilbert (e.g., 1989, 1996), Sheehy (2002, 2003, 2006). Arguing for a different form of realism Ruben (1985) maintains that social groups are spatio‐temporally nonmaterial but locatable entities.…”

“…3 3 It might be objected that to belong to a group is to share certain common attitudes, values, or goals and that these serve to bind members to the outcomes produced by the group. I have argued elsewhere against the intentionalist thesis that members need share any common beliefs or attitudes to constitute the group (Sheehy 2002). However, even if one grants the intentionalist view that individuals must share certain general beliefs (e.g., about membership, goals, or values) to form the group, these are not necessarily action‐directed intentions of the kind that directly attaches the membership to particular events or states brought about by the group. …”

La agenda ontológica de la Epistemología Social

“…El proceso siempre implica 25 Ésta es la lectura que Paul Sheehy propone dar a la perspectiva avanzada por Gilbert: si los grupos son un sistema constituido por partes físicas -"dos o más cuerpos humanos"-, ellos también son reales en tanto entidades materiales. Ver Sheehy, Paul (2002), "On Plural Subject Theory", en Journal of Social Philosophy, vol. XXXIII, p. 394;y Gilbert, Margaret (1989), op.…”

Collectivities without Intention

“…Paul Sheehy provides an example of the latter: four prisoners escaping in a rowing boat. 2 Collectivities can be small or large, voluntary or involuntary, passive or active, or can overlap categories. Fathers for Justice is a small, voluntary, active subset of the large, partially involuntary collectivity of divorced fathers unhappy with their legal access entitlements, mutually dependent in the sense that the goal (legal change) is one that, if achieved for any, must be achieved for all.…”