Trusting in Reason : Martin Hollis and the Philosophy of Social Action

Martin Hollis (d.1998) was arguably the most incisive, eloquent and witty philosopher of the social sciences of his time. His work is appreciated and contested here by some of the most eminent of contemporary social theorists. Hollis's philosophy of social action routinely distinguished between understanding (rational) and explanation (causal). He argued that the aptest account of human interaction was to be made in terms of the first. Thus he focused upon the human reasons, for, rather than upon the natural causes of, action.This volume, for the first time, brings together important essays on the work of Hollis, from many different perspectives. These include politics, sociology and economics in general; international relations, rational choice theory, constitutionalism and the rule of law as well as current concerns with relativism, Rousseauist contractarianism, 'dirty hands' and 'buck-passing'. Book Cover......Page 1 Half-Title......Page 2 Title......Page 4 Copyright......Page 5 Contents......Page 6 Preface......Page 8 I......Page 13 II......Page 19 III......Page 26 IV......Page 29 V......Page 39 VI......Page 43 2 Liberalism for the Liberals, Cannibalism for the Cannibals......Page 46 NOTES......Page 63 REFERENCES......Page 64 Prologue: Gyges’ Ring......Page 66 Rousseau’s Naturalism and the ‘Remarkable Change in Man’......Page 69 The Drive towards Universality: Rousseau’s Rich and Cautious Story......Page 71 Hollis beyond Rousseau: The Moral Significance of one’s Philosophyof Science......Page 75 NOTES......Page 78 REFERENCES......Page 79 4 Trust and Political Constitutions......Page 81 Does the Enlightenment Trail Lead to Philadelphia?......Page 83 From Philadelphia to Geneva?......Page 88 From Rationality to Reasonableness?......Page 93 REFERENCES......Page 94 5 Trust, Choice and Routines: Putting the Consumer on Trial......Page 96 Trust and the Hollisian Trail......Page 97 Putting the Consumer on Trial......Page 101 Concluding Remarks......Page 110 NOTES......Page 114 REFERENCES......Page 116 6 Whose Dirty Hands? How to Prevent Buck-Passing......Page 118 The Obfuscation of Responsibility......Page 119 Towards an Ethical Framework for Responsibility......Page 121 The Law, Buck-passing and Models of Responsibility......Page 123 Organisational Model 2—Equal Responsibility......Page 127 Case 3: The Overloaded Truck......Page 129 Organisational Model 3—Proportionate Responsibility......Page 130 Educating for Responsibility......Page 132 NOTES......Page 133 REFERENCES......Page 134 7 Many (Dirty) Hands Make Light Work: Martin Hollis’s Account of Social Action......Page 135 Reason and Ritual......Page 137 Models of Man......Page 140 The Cunning Of Reason......Page 144 The Philosophy of Social Science......Page 148 Critique......Page 152 Conclusion......Page 156 REFERENCES......Page 158 8 The Bond of Society: Reason or Sentiment?......Page 160 The Liberal Community......Page 161 Team Reasoning......Page 165 Rationality as its Own Explanation......Page 167 In Defence of Empiricism......Page 173 Conclusion......Page 178 NOTES......Page 179 REFERENCES......Page 180 9 Collective Reasoning: A Critique of Martin Hollis’s Position......Page 182 The Insolubility of the ‘Trivial’ Hi-Lo Co-ordination Problem......Page 183 Alternatives to Individual Instrumental Rationality: Expressive Rationality......Page 185 Collective Rationality (CR)......Page 186 Collective Agency And Methodological Individualism......Page 188 Team Membership......Page 194 A Problem for Collective Reasoning Within Reason......Page 196 Conclusion......Page 199 NOTES......Page 200 REFERENCES......Page 202 10 A Quick Peek into the Abyss: The Game of Social Life in Martin Hollis’s Trust Within Reason......Page 204 Discussion......Page 207 Conclusion......Page 214 NOTES......Page 215 REFERENCES......Page 216 11 Rational Choice and Trust......Page 217 NOTES......Page 227 REFERENCES......Page 229 12 The Rule of Law and the Rule of Persons......Page 231 Gormenghast: The Idea and Value of the Rule of Law......Page 232 Five Worlds of the Rule of Law......Page 237 Conclusion......Page 258 REFERENCES......Page 259 Abstracts......Page 262 Notes on Contributors......Page 268 Index......Page 271 Martin Hollis (d.1998) was arguably the most incisive, eloquent and witty philosopher of the social sciences of his time. His work is appreciated and contested here by some of the most eminent of contemporary social theorists. Hollis's philosophy of social action routinely distinguished between understanding (rational) and explanation (causal). He argued that the aptest account of human interaction was to be made in terms of the first. Thus he focused upon the human reasons, for, rather than upon the natural causes of, action. This volume, for the first time, brings together important essay