This paper criticizes the theory that runs through Searle's two books on social ontology, The Construction of Social Reality (1995) and Making the Social World (2010). This theory is critized along...Show moreThis paper criticizes the theory that runs through Searle's two books on social ontology, The Construction of Social Reality (1995) and Making the Social World (2010). This theory is critized along the following lines: (1) it does not cover all that we would properly call 'the social world' and (2) on the parts that it does cover, Searle's conception of collective intentionality causes it to be, in important respects, self-defeating. Finally, the case is made for a theory on the social world that pays more mind to the human experience of that social world. Had Searle paid more attention to the human experience when constructing his theory, the above two lines of criticism may not have been applicable in the first place.Show less
