Individualism and Holism in Social Ontology

Our aim in this chapter is to clarify individualism in social ontology and to consider different ways of construing or interpreting it, rather than to argue for one claim or another. Section 13.1 provides an introduction. Section 13.2 distinguishes three often-conflated doctrines—ontological, methodological, and causal individualism—and clarifies how they can come apart. onflated13.3 develops the dominant two-domain template for ontological individualism, analyzing disputes over what belongs in the individual domain I, the social domain S, and the determining relation R. and the13.4 surveys challenges to that template: pluralist views, objections arising from skepticism about levels, and deflationary or anti-holist alternatives. A brief conclusion (section 13.5) recapitulates the main interpretive options, highlights where the burden now lies for defenders of individualism, and notes how the debate intersects with broader issues in metaphysics and social-science methodology.