Methodological Holism Research Articles

Taste formation in Classical Political Economy

Owing to the mainstream interpretation of classical economics as being supply-side, studies examining the analytical role of demand and consumption have been scarce. In this paper, I bring together such passages in Cantillon, Steuart, Smith and Ricardo and forge an analytical link between social tastes and consumption—an attempt at reconstructing a classical theory of taste formation. A classical theory of taste formation has as its foundation methodological holism—viewing social classes as the fundamental unit of analysis. Through a discussion of necessaries and luxuries in the above classical economists, the social division of commodities is highlighted. By drawing on social classes and the social division of commodities, it is seen that taste plays a critical role in the determination of economic growth by influencing consumption expenditure. Finally, it is demonstrated that taste is both a cause and consequence of foreign trade.

The concept of relation in methodological individualism and holism: a reply to a functionalist critique

In an article entitled "Agency, functionalism and all that. A Sraffian view", published in the Journal of Philosophical Economics, Professor Cesaratto (2024) has proposed a functionalist methodology to study the relation between agency and structure. In doing so, he made some criticisms of an article of ours that had previously appeared in the same journal in issue XV, entitled "Towards a unity of sense: a critical analysis of the concept of relation in methodological individualism and holism in economics" (Ianulardo and Stella, 2022). We take Cesaratto's critique as an invitation to a dialogue on the methodology of the social sciences, and we would like to clarify some aspects in response to his critique. In essence, we clarify that our article consisted of two parts, which we can call pars destruens and pars construens, respectively. In the first, we show that while the determinate identity of the individual postulated by methodological individualism cannot stand without reference to difference, the relational methodology postulated by methodological holism requires its terms (i.e. individuals) to stand as a relation. In the second part, we make it clear that the sense of unity to which we have referred is not represented by an actual community, but by the drive towards unity that is common to all individuals when they intend to form a social entity (group, class, nation, party, institution etc.). Every unification makes it possible to shed new light on the moments that led to it. In this sense, we have spoken of a teleological perspective, since the end point allows us to re-signify the intermediate moments that led to it.

Холизм и индивидуализм в социальных науках (онтология и методология): современные дебаты и приближение к позиции Гегеля

The paper gives a survey of contemporary research and thematizes the topics of ontological and methodological holism and individualism within social metaphysics, and does preparatory work for an examination of this issue from a Hegelian perspective. The first part of the paper provides an overview of the current debates and roughly maps the positions. The second part presents a Hegelian conceptualization of this issue as proposed by Gillian Rose. She argues in favor of the unacceptability of holism and individualism (functionalism and action theory) and points to a third, unified perspective, which finds an adequate expression in Hegel, according to her.

I that is We and We that is I: A Defense of Methodological Holism and the Primacy of Collective Agency

In a Hegelian spirit, this paper advances a methodological holism based on the ontological primacy of collective agency. The first section sketches the general problematic of methodological and ontological individualism and shows critical points. Two core components are discerned: an atom-like view of individuals as separate and independent from society and a mechanistic pattern of explanation that reduces institutions to interactions of singular individuals. In the second section, I argue in favor of methodological holism by showing that singular individuals are the product of the community in which they are raised. The section demonstrates methodological primacy of the whole through its ‘normative’ causality on individuals’ existence, identity, attitudes and actions. Singular individuals and their actions are rendered possible within and through the whole, taken as a set of institutions and structures. The third part presents a short account of a general individual (We-agent) that is causally effective in a normative and rational way. General individuals have intentionality, mind, personality, interests, etc. of their own that manifest in actions, thoughts and attitudes of singular individuals. General individuals differ from singular individuals by the scope of their interests and goals. General individuals possess intrinsic rationality and normativity that shows a pattern of valid explanation in the manner of methodological holism.

ГРУППЫ СПЕЦИАЛЬНЫХ ИНТЕРЕСОВ В ПРОЦЕССЕ ИНСТИТУЦИОНАЛЬНЫХ ИЗМЕНЕНИЙ НА ПРИМЕРЕ ИНСТИТУТА ВЛАСТИ-СОБСТВЕННОСТИ В РОССИИ

Parallels between the economic development of countries and the results of the actions of their elites are becoming more and more popular, which actualises the research into the areas of influence of special interest groups on the quality of institutions in different states. This study is based on the approach of methodological holism, according to which collectives are viewed as independent economic actors. The article emphasises that institutional change can occur both spontaneously and through the deliberate action of special interest groups. This essay analyses existing approaches to assessing the impact of collective actions on the historical process of institution selection, and considers the institution of power-ownership in Russia as a result of actions of special interest groups that influenced "natural" institution selection and blocked economic development of the country on this sub-optimal institution in order to maintain their redistributive advantages. The authors conclude that radical modification and destruction of this institution is necessary, but note that such changes are practically impossible on the basis of gradual reforms with an attempt to maintain a balance between all parties.

From the Cover page to the Body Text: Embedding Gandhi in Economics, Governance and Management Education

Given the prevalent political, social and economic predicaments and disruptions in the world, Gandhi represents an idea that is much more relevant today than ever. The paper argues that merely placing Gandhian talisman on the cover of the textbooks published by the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) would not suffice. It argues that like the theme of a story, Gandhian philosophy and practices must reverberate throughout the scholastic journey of our learners. The paper presents some pathways for embedding Gandhi in Economics, Governance and Management Education, that is, EGM education. The paper draws on methodological holism emphasizing the centrality of Gandhian thought in EGM Subject Content Knowledge (SCK) and Methodological Content Knowledge (MCK). It emphasizes experiential and experimental methods such that Gandhi is not reduced to a portrait on the back of a person’s chair. Instead, Gandhi engages her or him like a mirror in front that enables a personal makeover into a Vaishnav Jan through a transformative process that trains hands, awakens intellect and softens hearts.

“Practical” Hermeneutics of Muhammad Quraish Shihab – between Scilla of Anarchy and Charybdis of Dogmatism

The present article deals with the work of an Indonesian scholar and a public intellectual Muhammad Quraish Shihab. The paper reveals the main principles of Quraish Shihab's Quranic Hermeneutics, which include pragmatism (orienting towards the joint interest), thematic approach and methodological holism. Among the objects of the research there are his innovative approach to Quran exegesis, his links with Egyptian modernist schools of M. Abduh and M.R. Ridah, his ideas, where Islam comes as a “middle way”. Moreover, the article demonstrates the connection between his hermeneutical theory and his social activism, especially in the fi eld of media. The author concludes the paper with a brief explanation of the main points of Quraish Shihab's hermeneutical theory.

Альтернативные институциональные стратегии разработки монетарных теорий

The article discusses the new strategies for studying macro-economic processes and relationships between the monetary and real variables in light of the transformations of the modern economy. The research aims to describe the strategies of constructing monetary theories of mainstream economics and to develop an approach for studying endogenous institutional relationships in monetary processes. Conceptually, the study uses as a point of departure the idea that economic entities pursue value-based and economic motives. Such an approach reflects the intersubjective nature of the economy and helps overcome the extremes of methodological individualism and methodological holism. The study shows how the institutional characteristics of the strategies in question are determined by orthodox and heterodox versions of Keynesian economics. The paradigmal limitations of the given strategies may stem from the fact that methodologically they rely on individualism, which leads to exogenous interpretations of institutions and monetary phenomena. Therefore, it is impossible to explain the emergence of market prices as an institutional phenomena by drawing on the neo-classical versions of the theory of value. Macro-economic indicators in mainstream economics are exogenous aggregated variables. The study traces the development of the paradigmal framework of classical political economy and Marx’s institutional-evolutional theory of value and money, which were determined by the normative interpretation of the economic behaviour of economic entities. Following the above, it is shown that the proposed approach corresponds to the classical tradition and contributes to the research on the endogenous relationship between the nominal and actual parameters of macro-economic processes. This approach also demonstrates the need to consider money as an institutional variable characterizing work output and the corresponding part of GDP. The conclusion is made that in order to address the systemic problems of national economic development, it is particularly important to create an institutional model that would be adequate to the current reality and that would be suitable for constructing effective fiscal and monetary regulators of monetary processes.

Prospects for System Expansion of Institutional Economic Theory

The article discusses the ways of creating unified economic theory describing the functioning and interaction of significant units of the national economy and the economy as a whole. The general construction of a unified economic theory, its connection with the system economic theory and its system components (object, process, project, environmental economic theories) is determined. Based on the example of institutional economic theory, it is shown that the expansion of its terminology and conceptual apparatus within the framework of the construction of a unified multi-level economic theory allows minimizing the contradictions between the “old” and “new” institutionalism, methodological individualism and methodological holism. This expansion is carried out following the principle of the maximum possible system community in two lines. The first line is expanding the subject area (along with organizations as systems of the object type, systems of the process, project, the environment types are also considered as the focal subject of study). The second line is the expanding the instrumental area (analysis of the influence on the behavior of agents from not only institutional subsystems but also information, infrastructural, network, mental, and other environmental subsystems). As a result, each system receives the compact and maximum volumetric internal systemic content and, at the same time, the minimum volumetric external systemic environment, which creates conditions for the effective application of the duality principle in the theory of economic systems. Thus, the system expansion of institutional theory should take place in two lines: content of the theory per se and creation of its immediate environment.

Possibilities of the Economic Institutionalism’ Integration

The article is devoted to the search and substantiation of the answer to the question whether it is possible to combine the original and new institutional economics. For this, first, methodological holism and methodological individualism are compared, which share the aforementioned directions of economic institutionalism. It is concluded that these methodological principles are logically incompatible in their ontological foundations, but they are close in the types of the analyzed processes and phenomena explanations. Secondly, the definitions of the institution are compared, which are usually used in these areas. From their comparison, it is concluded that the understanding of the institution in the new institutional economics is more productive than that followed by the supporters of the original institutional economics. In the final part of the article, it is concluded that the convergence of the two institutionalisms is possible through the deployment of a discussion based on the results of empirical research, which can show the participants the advantages and disadvantages of the scientific methods used. Methodological discussions are considered unproductive.

From ‘the people’ to the crowd: The push for independence in Catalonia

This article examines the sociological value of Elias Canetti’s work on crowds and power. It explores crowd action and imagery in the push for Catalan independence through the analysis of materials published on Twitter by Tsunami Democràtic, which emerged to coordinate the response to the sentencing of Catalan political leaders after the unilateral declaration of independence. It then goes on to discuss how a crowd-based approach offers a supplementary perspective to contemporary studies of populism, on the one hand, and to accounts that primarily focus on the role of social media in organizing political protest movements, on the other. An analysis of crowds not only avoids both methodological holism and methodological individualism. It also helps to understand why so many people were mobilized beyond the power of concepts, ideologies and discourse.

Two concepts of practice and theology

Practice and practices have been increasingly discussed in theology. In these discussions, practice is often understood in relation to theory. In emergent practice theory, however, practice is understood in terms of social ontology and as an alternative to methodological individualism and methodological holism. Society, including religion, is analysed as nexuses of collective practices. This article makes a distinction between two concepts of practice, one weak and one strong, and discusses these concepts in texts by Kathlyn Tanner and Linda Woodhead. It also discusses how a strong conception of practice may contribute to theology.

On methodological individualism, holism and management in the light “Tectology” by A.A. Bogdanov

The consideration for the improvement of the efficiency of social economy made researchers look for names, views and methods which were not fully appreciated. This includes the general organizational science which occupies a prominent position by A.A. Bogdanov. There is no doubt that the ideas of A.A. Bogdanov are reflected in systems theory, cybernetics, medicine and philosophy of technology, aesthetics, linguistics and other disciplines. However they had little influence on economy, despite the fact that A.A. Bogdanov was a recognized expert in this area. This paper tries to fill this gap to some extent, and show that the ideas of Tectology are very relevant in modern economic discussions, including in the debate between methodological individualism and methodological holism. A.A. Bogdanov did not set out to study the organization of relations between people in the production process. This is the purpose of modern management. However, his approach to the study of the relationship between an individual and a team, the analysis of the conditions for the appearance of emergent effects in industrial cooperation deserve to be considered in economic theory and in management practice. Moreover, this is correlates to the modern trend to discover and study and, ultimately, use intangible factors of increasing the productivity of social economy in favor of man. In addition, the organizational views of the works of A.A. Bogdanov allow taking a fresh look at the real relationship between methodological holism and methodological individualism both in the structure of management and economy in general.

Du Bois and Hegelian Idealism

In a crossed-out section in his Fisk University commencement address on Otto von Bismarck, W. E. B. Du Bois mentions that Hegel was one of the figures that influenced him early on in his intellectual development. I argue that although Du Bois uses Hegelian language and employs a Hegelian conception of history in his address “The Conservation of Races,” he abandons both in his essay “Sociology Hesitant.” He became critical of the teleological conception of history because it rests on determinism, which in his view denies the possibility for social change. With what I call his “mystical holism,” Du Bois is at odds with Hegel’s methodological holism, a distinguishing characteristic of absolute idealism. Du Bois’s dynamic idealism, which grows out of opposition to Hegelian idealism, leaves us with hope for a world without racism or at the very least in a better position to develop idealism as an anti-racist system of philosophical thought.

ЦИФРОВАЯ ЭКОНОМИКА: СВОБОДА, «ЭКОНОМИЧЕСКИЙ ЧЕЛОВЕК» И ТРАНСФОРМАЦИЯ ТРУДА

The digital economy is in its infancy as the last (so far) qualitative design of a post-industrial economy. From this perspective, our goal is to assess the «behaviour» of basic conceptual values in the process of shaping the economic structure through an evolutionary lens. The study is based on methodological holism. The study used historical-structural, historical-genetic, probabilistic-deductive and systematic approaches. Reflections and assumptions about the processes of transition to digital update are given. As one of the most important problems of our time, the needs for optimal freedoms in the Trinity are considered: man → citizen → personality. A projection of freedom is given on the process of historical development of society. Theoretical and methodological aspects of formation and development of relations of labor and capital in digital economy are summarized. The phenomenon of freedom in relations of labor and capital in the context of historical realities is considered. A block diagram of qualitative change in economic integrity has been developed. Theoretical approaches to the subject of digital economy through abstraction of «digital person» are presented. The essence of the abstraction «economic man» in the processes of historical evolution is revealed. It interprets transformation in relation to a person who, in fact, is replaced by capitalized labor. A statement was formed that a global geoeconomic architecture is being created with the simultaneous development of a network system, where the development of the information society acts as a geoeconomic paradigm. The result: Digital innovation - a concept - is a logical consequence of the constructive unity of values and technological changes; post-industrialism is not the last economic type of economy in the context of development.

Метод теорії суспільних фінансів та його альтернативи

The method of the public finance theory is understood as a set of the following components: initial positions and worldviews; specific research methods; and the ways to verify the results. The initial assumptions and worldviews of the Western public finance theory, modern Ukrainian public finance theory and its Soviet predecessor are compared. The difference of approaches within these theories concerning worldview is revealed, namely: their conceptual and philosophical basis (materialism / idealism); traditions of using the historical method; the role of the base and superstructure in financial science; focus on value / utility in studies dealing with the nature of fiscal phenomena; differences in interpreting the basic unit of analysis (individual, group, or class); the organic / mechanistic concepts of state used; explanation of the nature of the interaction between the basic units of analysis; attitude to the positive / normative approach. The methodological orientation of the Western financial thought on methodological individualism; that of the Soviet state finance theory on methodological holism, and the lack of precision in these issues of Ukraine’s modern financial science are mentioned. The author refers to the negative trend in assessing fiscal phenomena in Ukraine from the standpoint of state-centrism and the interests and needs of the state, which arises precisely on the basis of the holistic methodological attitudes and the predominance of the organic view of the state. It is shown that modern domestic financial science is still in transition. Due to its worldview, it is a theory of state finance (financial resources of the state), while the Western science is a theory of public finance (public funds, belonging to the society as a whole). The paper outlines the guidelines for further transforming the methodological foundations of financial science in Ukraine.

Structuralism in Social Science: Obsolete or Promising?

The approach of structuralism came to philosophy from social science. It was also in social science where, in 1950–1970s, in the form of the French structuralism, the approach gained its widest recognition. Since then, however, the approach fell out of favour in social science. Recently, structuralism is gaining currency in the philosophy of mathematics. After ascertaining that the two structuralisms indeed share a common core, the question stands whether general structuralism could not find its way back into social science. The nature of the major objections raised against French structuralism – concerning its alleged ahistoricism, methodological holism and universalism – are reconsidered. While admittedly grounded as far as French structuralism is concerned, these objections do not affect general structuralism as such. The fate of French structuralism thus does not seem to preclude the return of general structuralism into social science, rather, it provides some hints where the difficulties may lie.

A Community of Shared Future for Mankind—The Contemporary Development of the Social Foundations Theory of International Law

In the traditional understanding, the social basis of the emergence and existence of international law can be summed up as an international society in which interstate conflict and cooperation and interests and contradictions coexist. In recent years, the term “international community” has been widely used in national practice and academic discourse. Many scholars believe that the development of interstate relations indicates that the international community is being transformed into a global international community. The concept of “a community of shared future for mankind” reflects China’s new understanding of the social foundations of international law. It introduces Chinese traditional culture into global governance, develops Marxist theory on the community, is concerned both for mankind as a whole and for individuals, highlights the ultimate issues of the international community, and emphasizes the international community’s union of diversity and interdependence. The idea of “a community of shared future for mankind” is of great significance for the theory and practice of international law; it reflects the emergence of methodological holism, the response of international law to the questioning of its legitimacy, and the trend toward hierarchical systematization in international law. The concept of “a community of shared future for mankind” is of great value to China’s participation in the reform of the global governance system. It will help promote appreciation of the relations between China and the world, enhance China’s international discourse power and discourse force, and promote the rule of law in international relations that China advocates.

On the Ontology of Structural Realism

Due to its systemic approach, structural realism (or neorealism) can be subsumed under methodological holism, which takes social phenomena to be wholes that cannot be reduced to their parts. The wholes posited by structural realism are the state and the international structure. Recent developments in the philosophy of social science suggest that methodological holism ought to be limited to causal explanation and complemented by ontological individualism, which requires an account of how social wholes derive from individuals. Structural realism lacks such an account because it takes the state as an empirical given, mistaking for a fact what is really a concept in need of deductive derivation from individuals. To bring the theory methodologically up to date, this essay undertakes such a derivation of the state from individuals, proceeding in the deductive manner of political theory. It thus provides structural realism with a methodologically valid ontology, which, in turn, enables the theory to better defend itself against liberal and constructivist critics who reduce the state to a transient phenomenon.

ARCHETYPES OF INDIVIDUAL AND COLLECTIVE IN THE MODEL OF THE UNIVERSAL SOCIAL CYCLE

The article deals with the peculiarities of the interaction of archetypes of individual and collective in the context of the model of the universal social cycle and the history of the development of corresponding concepts. Modern sociological theories are the attempts to find answers to challenges of the ongoing modernization process. Controversial approaches in most sociological theories seem to be “methodological individualism” or “methodological holism”. Accordingly, modern space is marked, so to speak, by the dominance of “instrumental reason”. With the onset of the early Modern era, societies have a rigid opposition to traditional social institutions and values (in the spirit of “revolutionary disobedience of socio-class interests”). The contradictions between individual and collective become sharp, which ultimately, is resolved in favor of the latter. The developed Modern is already characterized by the ideals of stability and security that reconcile individual and collective. Instead, the late Modern (or Postmodern) reinforces the controversy in individual and collective relations, stimulates social disintegration, blurs individual and collective identities. The issue of the nonlinear, cyclic approach to the highlighting of the interaction of archetypes of individual and collective remains open. For every person living in the society in one way or another is connected with the information-energy interaction between society and the individual, between “WE” and “I”. Postmodernity also actualizes the other side of social life of a human being, society and civilization, which is a cyclical psychosocial process. Each of the stages of this process reveals, as evidenced by the research of the Ukrainian school of archetypes, national peculiarities of social systems, as well as typical for one or another historical epoch psychosocial characteristics, and socio-historical development appears as interaction of mental and social structures.