The problem is that a holistic abstraction like “the society” is less effective in describing a picture closer to reality than the ideal type of methodological individualism (“the individual”). Reducing it to this fundamental fragment is much better at describing the processes that actually occur in so-called social phenomena.
And yes, Democracy is the system that best captures this notion that it is not possible to achieve a total improvement of the society.
But if individuals are not the basic fragments (the units to which we can most reduce our analysis), then what?
In my view, we would start to enter into psychobiological investigations of how, for example, genes make choices. However, if we were to reduce it to that level, as David Friedman rightly observed, the conclusions would be the same...
I—But would an analysis as sub-agents be better than an analysis as if they were the true agents? And why would they be subagents? Who would be the main causal agent?
II—Conclusions drawn from an analysis of utility theory through methodological individualism.
The problem is that a holistic abstraction like “the society” is less effective in describing a picture closer to reality than the ideal type of methodological individualism (“the individual”). Reducing it to this fundamental fragment is much better at describing the processes that actually occur in so-called social phenomena.
And yes, Democracy is the system that best captures this notion that it is not possible to achieve a total improvement of the society.
People aren’t the fundamental fragment. Quarks, or something are.
But if individuals are not the basic fragments (the units to which we can most reduce our analysis), then what?
In my view, we would start to enter into psychobiological investigations of how, for example, genes make choices. However, if we were to reduce it to that level, as David Friedman rightly observed, the conclusions would be the same...
Subagents? As I said
The conclusion that societies don’t exist, or the conclusion that people don’t exist? Or both?
I—But would an analysis as sub-agents be better than an analysis as if they were the true agents? And why would they be subagents? Who would be the main causal agent?
II—Conclusions drawn from an analysis of utility theory through methodological individualism.
II so if you assume individualism, you conclude individualism?
But I was taking “that level” in “if we were to reduce it to that level” to mean the subagent level.