Holism, Individuation, and Internal Relations

Abstract

Holism, Individuation, and. Internal Relations D. J. CROSSLEY IF THEREIS one central doctrine of absolute idealism it is the doctrine of internal relations. In the context of discussion of ethical and social issues this displays itself as the thesis of holism. And this is only to be expected, for a constant focus of the critical attacks by the British Idealists is the atomism of classical empiricism; so we are not surprised to discover Bradley presenting the case for holism largely in terms of a polemic against individualism. In this paper I wish to investigate the argument for holism as it appears in the fifthchapter of F. H. Bradley's Ethical Studies, entitled "My Station and Its Duties." The holistic position Bradley is advancing is not without merit, and the problem he is addressing--the relationship between an individual person and the institutions into which he is born or to which he voluntarily commits himself--is a traditional problem for ethical and social theory of substantial consequence . However, much of Bradley's discussion proceeds at the level of the methodological and metaphysical problems involved in the theses of individualism and of holism, and it is these questions with which I am almost solely concerned. The first section discusses methodological and ontological individualism and concentrates on Bradley's attempt to discuss the problem at the methodological level, without recourse to metaphysical arguments. The burden of this section will be to illustrate why this attempt fails and to indicate the general nature of the case Bradley really wishes to make. That is, while he states that he is carrying on the debate at a methodological level-- or, at least, at some level divorced from metaphysics-- he is, nevertheless, really arguing against ontological individualism, which he apparently treats as prior to, and implying, methodological individualism. The second section explores the arguments for holism in greater detail and will conclude that the case for holism is made plausible by the arguments and examples presented, although they are not likely decisive. Finally, I shall argue that holism can be given theoretical support if we engage the issue of individuation, for the strongest philosophical argument for individualism rests on a thesis about the individuating of macroentities and this can be shown to involve insuperable difficulties and, indeed, to support Bradley 's case. I In more recent literature there has been considerable interest in the question of individualismas it pertains to historial studies and the social sciences. Usually the discussion originates at, and attempts to remain at, the level of methodology. Methodological individualists maintain that explanations of historical, social or political events can function only at the level of individualagents or persons and must, in [1831 184 HISTORY OF PHILOSOPHY principle, be reducible to these units in the final analysis; their opponents argue that it is at least logically respectable to advance explanations in terms of larger social and political wholes, or macrounits, and that in fact there are some activities, such as riots, which must be considered in this way. The latter position is thereby nominated "methodological holism." The debate is complicated by the transference to, or relapse into, other levels such as the ontological, the psychological, the ethical, etc. Holists are often suspected of employing, or of being on the verge of, untenable and fantastic metaphysical theses, such as treating macroentities as particulars; yet individualists in general seem most concerned to prove that macrounits are nothing but a collection of individuals, individuals being the ultimate or only entities and agents. In virtue of this, the further claim is advanced that all explanations must be reducible to the individualistic level in order to qualify as genuine and satisfactory explanations. Such a case is based on a thesis about the ontological priority of individuals rather than on logical or methodological considerations or priorities. In "My Station and Its Duties" Bradley gives a reasonably accurate portrayal of the general position of individualists. Their case rests on two basic beliefs which are intimately connected: that "individuals are real by themselves," and that "the community is the sum of its parts."1He quite rightlyrecognizes the former as a metfiphysical thesis rather poorly disguised as, or hastily asserted to be, "fact" (ES...