Understanding Agency: Social Theory and Responsible Action

176 Pages·1999·4.79 MB·English

by  S Barry Barnes

UnderstandAignegn cy
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UnderstandAignegn cy
SociTahle orayn d
ResponsAicbtlieo n
BarrBya rnes
SAGEP ublications
London• ThousanOda ks• New Delhi
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© BarrBya rne2s0 00
Firpsutb lished 2000
Allr ighrtess ervNeod p.a rotf t hipsu blicamtiaoybn er eproducsetdo,r eidna retrieval
systetmr,a nsmitotru etdi liiznea dn yf ormo rb ya nym eanse,l ectromneicch,a nicpahlo.­
tocopyirnegc,o rdoirno gt herwiwsiet,h opuetr missiinow nr itifnrgo mt heP ublishers.
SAGEP ublicatLitodn s
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ISBN0 7 61693 677
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o God,t hea uthoorfp eace
andl oveorfc oncord,
tokn ow youi se ternlailf e,
tos ervyeo ui sp erfefrcete dom
(CollfeocrPt e ace)
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CONTENTS
Acknowledgements viii
Preface ix
Par1t.M ATERIALSA ND ARGUMENTS 1
1 EverydDaiys course 3
2 'Choiacned'' AgenciynS' o cial Theory 17
3 A BriDeifg ressoinAo tnt ribution 34
4 On IndividuailnSi oscmi Tahle ory 47
5 TranscenIdnidnigv idualism 64
Par2t.S PECULTAIONSA ND EVALUATIONS 79
6 'Agencayn'd' ResponsiibniS loictiyo'l oTghiecoarly 82
7 AgencRye,s ponsibainldNi etwy H umanB iothencologies1 03
8 RatioAngaeln tisnD ifferenStoicaiteetdi es 122
9 On theF inLei nbee tweeSnt ataunsd S tate 143
Bibliography 156
Index 161
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I am abovael iln debtteodS tevLeo yalb,o thf ort urning my interest
towartdh ew ritionfthg i sb ooka,n df oarl Ilg ainefdr omo urc onversa­
tionbse fohreel effto rU niversCiotlyl eDgueb liTno.r ecatlhle sceo n­
versatiisot nors e catlhlee normopulse asSutree vael waytso oikn s ocial
theorwyh,i cmha det hec onversaitnit ohnesm selavs eosu rocfep leasure.
In additiaos ni,g nifpiacratnC tho afp t2eh ra se volvferdo smo meu npub­
lishwerdi tiwneg d idt ogethearn,dI th ereforeS toewvese p ecitahla nks
fohisr contributtioto hna pta rotf th e bookS.i ncteh eann umbeorf c ol­
leaguheasv eh elpethde booka lonigt wsa yJ.o hnB ryanGtr,a vDea vie,
JohDnu PreR,e genia GaCghnriiGesir l,l , KinTgo,n Nyi gePll easanatnsd
DaviSda undehrasv hee lpeodns pecifico prwo itihnt thse giern ercaolm ­
mentss,ot hatth eb ooki si dentifbieatbtlaeysra resuBlutt.a lmly col­
leaguienst hes ocioldoegpya rtmheenrtae t E xetearn,dm anyi nt he
largsecrh oooflw hicwhe aren owp arhta,v et ob et hankfeodtr h e sug­
gestiaonndsc ritictihsemhysa veo fferientd a laknsd s eminaorvse trh e
lastth reyee arasn,d s os imiladrols ye verfarli enadnsdc olleageulesse ­
whereI. n eede specitaolm leyn tioBno bW itkiann do urs harionfg
thoughotnsw alkosv ewri ndswempoto rs.
I needt oa cknowleadsgw ee,l ld,e btosfa nothseorr Wtr.i tionfgt his
kinnde edpse rioodfss o litaunddei solatfiroondm i stractainodnt sh,e se
arien creasinglyt osd eicfufirinetc huele vte mro ref reneetnivci ronments
ofB ritish uniIvteh rassbi eteigneo so.dt ow orki na settiwnhge rteh is
needi sr ecogniasnedsd o,m anyo ft hosiena p osittiood nos op utg reat
thougahntd e ffoirntt moe etiintgI. a m alsvoe rmyu ch awaorfhe o w
manyp eopliend ifferkeinntdo sf r olhee rdee seravcek nowledgement
forth eirw orkt os ustaainni nstituteinovniarlo nmaepnptr opriate for
scholarrelsye aIrs chho.u lpda rticulliaktreolr ye comryd t hantksoM ary
Guyf ohre rc ontinuaisnsgi staasnt cheem anuscreivpotl vietdw: a sh elp
thawte ntw ayb eyontdh ec alolfd uty.
Barry Barnes
ExeUtneirv ersity
Jun19e9 9
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PREFACE
Thibso oiks a ne ssaiyns ocial theoriyn csltriotnnoeeg dml pyi ricainsdm
naturaliinis tmas c couonfth umanb einagnsd h owt helyi vIne .p artic­
ulairt,h oldtsh ahtu manb eingasr es ocicarle atutrheastt,o, b orroaw
phrasfer otm hel iteraotfcu urlet usrtauld itehse,ay r e' highglrye garious
interdepesnodceipnartli mat(eGsa'gn iaenrd D upre1,9 98a)nd,i tr egards
worki nb iolopgsyy,c holaongdsy o ciolaosog ffye rianmgp leev idenocfe
theirp rofousnodc iab.iA ltti htesy amet imei,tr ecognitsheaitst sst and­
poinitsc urrenatl liyt utnlues uaaln,dt haitnm anyp artosfs ocithaelo ry,
andi ndeeodfth e socisacli engceense rathlelryei, s a na versitooin ta nd
a needf oirt mse rittosb er easserHtaevdi.nw gr itttehneb ookfr omt he
perspecotfia v seo cioloIg hiasvte,o ccasiontahloluyg hotfi ta sa n
attemtport e viavD eu rkheimviiaenow f h umanb einignst hesceo ntexts,
buto fc ourtshe ec laitmh ahtu manb einmgasy b eu nderstnoaotdu ral­
isticaasls loyc icarle atucraensa lsboe f oundi nt heM arxiaann d
Aristotleiltiearna tiunEr nelsi,g htenthmiennkte lrisk Aed amS mitahn d
DaviHdu me,a ndi nm anyo thesro urces.
Tos uggetshta tth ipse rspecnteievdets ob er easseirstt eoid m pltyh at
thes ocisacli enacreecs u rrenutnldyu liyn dividuaalnidIs d toii cn,d eed
beliethvaetth isi ss oI.t i se vidennottm ereliyne conomiacnsdr elated
fielwdhse reirna tiocnhaoli icned ividuailsdi osmmi nanbtu,te veni n
sociolwohgeyr,te h en egleocftt h es ociianml a ny paorftt hse l iterature
isv ersytr ikiZnygg.m untB auman( 198h9a)sp uth isf ingoenrw hati s
involvheedr e:
Thee xistenmtoidaall iotfty h es oci(auln litkhees tructouftr hee s ociehtaals)
beens eldohme ladt t hef ocuosfs ocioloagtitceanlt Iito nw.ga lsa dcloyn ceded
tot hef ieolfdp hilosopahnitcharolp olaongdys eeans c onstituattbi ensgtt,h, e
distionuctte frr ontoifet rh ea reoaf s ociology Tphreorpiees nr o.S OCiological
consenstuhse,r efaosrt eot, h em eaninegx,p eriecnotnitaelan ntd b ehavioural
consequenocfte hse p rimarcyo nditoifo' nb eiwnigt ho therTsh'e.w aysi n
whicht hacto nditciaonnb em ades ociologirceallelvyaa rnety ett ob ef ully
exploriensd o ciolopgriaccatli ce.
(p1. 79)
Theries ,i ndeetdh,r oughotuhtes ocisacli encae nse,e df orm ore
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