Explaining Social Action Revisited: A Reply to John Levi Martin

Abstract

Abstract Purpose To clarify and address questions that have arisen concerning John Levi Martin’s Explanation of Social Action (2011). I reply to some of Martin’s comments to my original review of his book (2012). In particular, this paper examines the distinction between first-person and third-person accounts of human action and whether third-person explanations of action are ever justified. Findings This paper concedes several of Martin’s points, but contra Martin, maintains that third-person accounts are sometimes valuable forms of explanation. This paper also concludes that the distinction between first-person and third-person explanations is relative to the actor. Methodology/approach A careful and close analysis of his reply is employed along with careful explication and exemplification of central concepts related to the study of human action. Social implications Martin has argued that third-person explanations of social action generate epistemological instability and hierarchical social relationships between researchers and those researched. This paper expresses doubts about the generalizability of these claims. Originality/value of paper To date, no extended discussion has been published pertaining to the social value of third-person explanations of social action.