Raimo Tuomela: Response to Kirk Ludwig

Abstract

In his paper Ludwig argues for methodological individualism and, in a novel way, against my we-mode approach.1 According to him (I) the irreducibility of the we-mode to the I-mode (as claimed in my Social Ontology (SO)) does not entail that methodological individualism is to be rejected.2 He also argues that (II) the three central criteria for we-mode activities, viz. the group reason, collectivity, and collective commitment criteria, that I present and defend in SO can plausibly be satisfied by a reductive account. Furthermore, he argues that (III) the arguments in the book do not give reason to think that a reductive account cannot be adequate to the descriptive and explanatory requirements of a theory of the social world. In turn I will below argue that theses I, II, and III are not acceptable.