Methodological Individualism
Syllabus
Instructor:
Meeting Time:
Location:
Office Hours:
Contact:
Rush T. Stewart
Thursdays, 10:00-12:00
Ludwigstr. 28, Room 503
Tuesdays 14:00-16:00 and by appointment, Ludwigstr. 31, Room 131
rush.stewart@lrz.uni-muenchen.de
Description
In attempts to explain and predict social phenomena, the social sciences appeal to various
entities: nations, firms, families, political parties, etc. Beliefs and goals are routinely ascribed
to such entities. Must all social phenomena be explicable solely in terms of individuals and
their beliefs and goals, as the doctrine of methodological individualism demands? Or is such
a requirement arbitrary and overly-restrictive?
Readings
All articles and excerpts for the class will be made available on Coursesites. Any relevant
handouts or other media will also be posted. On the schedule below, “SEP” refers to the
Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy.
Coursesites
To access reading materials and the current version of the syllabus, students must register
for Methodological Individualism at Coursesites/Blackboard online. Enroll by going here:
https://tinyurl.com/yxsbyrqk.
Requirements
Presentations:
Final Paper:
15%
85%
You should select a paper topic in consultation with me. Each week, email me a brief question
or remark you have about the reading by noon on Wednesday. The presentation is intended
to be an opportunity to get constructive feedback on a potential term paper topic. The
length will depend on the number of people in the course. The final paper should be roughly
3,500–4,000 words or so.
Schedule
It is very likely that the schedule will be adjusted throughout the term. I will often try to
indicate the readings you should primarily focus on for the week. There may be some room to
tailor our schedule to the interests of the class. Updates will be posted to Coursesites.
Date
25.04
02.05
Topic
Introduction
Introductory remarks
Some History
Epstein, The Ant Trap, Chs. 1, 2
Weber, Economy and Society, Ch. 1, § 1
SEP Entry on Methodological Individualism, § 1
09.05
Hayek, “Scientism and the Study of Society” Part I pp. 286–291,
Part II § VII-X,
SEP Entry on Methodological Individualism, § 2
16.05
Watkins, “Historical Explanations in the Social Sciences”
SEP Entry on Methodological Individualism, § 3
Lukes, “Methodological Individualism Reconsidered”
23.05
Rational Choice Theory
Elster, “The Case for Methodological Individualism”
SEP Entry on Methodological Individualism, § 4
G. Hardin, “The Tragedy of the Commons”
R. Hardin, SEP Entry on the Free Rider Problem
Samuelson, “The Pure Theory of Economic Expenditure”
30.05
No class (Ascension Day)
06.06
Cohen, “Functional Explanation: Reply to Elster”
Schelling, Micromotives and Macrobehavior, ch. 4
13.06
Buchanan and Tullock, excerpt from The Calculus of Consent
Levi, “Conflict and Social Agency”
Rovane, “What Is an Agent?”
Optional: Riker, Liberalism against Populism, ch. 1
20.06
No class (Corpus Christi)
27.06
Laws and Explanations in the Social Sciences
Kincaid, “There Are Laws in the Social Sciences”
Roberts, “There Are No Laws of the Social Sciences”
Optional: Reiss, “The Explanation Paradox”
04.07
Individualism in Other (Non-Social) Sciences
Sober, “Holism, Individualism, and the Units of Selection”
Birch, “The Multicellular Organism as a Social Phenomenon”
11.07
Presentations
18.07
26.07
Alternatives
SEP Entry on Methodological Individualism, § 6
Epstein, The Ant Trap Chs. 3, 4
Reviews of The Ant Trap
List and Spiekermann, “Methodological Individualism and Holism
in Political Science: A Reconciliation”