Joint Commitment

Joint Commitment
Author: Margaret Gilbert
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Total Pages: 464
Release: 2015
Genre: Philosophy
ISBN: 0190251956

This new essay collection by distinguished philosopher Margaret Gilbert provides a richly textured argument for the importance of joint commitment in our personal and public lives. Topics covered by these diverse essays range from marital love to patriotism, from promissory obligation to the unity of the European Union.

Sociality and Responsibility

Sociality and Responsibility
Author: Margaret Gilbert
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
Total Pages: 198
Release: 2000
Genre: Philosophy
ISBN: 9780847697632

Sociality and Responsibility develops and extends the application of her plural subject theory of human sociality, first introduced in the earlier works On Social Facts and Living Together. Demonstrating the extensive range and fruitfulness of plural subject theory Gilbert presents accounts of social rules, scientific change, political obligation, collective remorse, collective guilt, shared intention and an important class of rights and obligations.

A Theory of Political Obligation

A Theory of Political Obligation
Author: Margaret Gilbert
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
Total Pages: 343
Release: 2006-05-11
Genre: Law
ISBN: 0199274959

Margaret Gilbert offers an incisive new approach to a classic problem of political philosophy: when and why should I do what the laws of my country tell me to do? Beginning with carefully argued accounts of social groups in general and political societies in particular, the author argues that in central, standard senses of the relevant terms membership in a political society in and of itself obligates one to support that society's political institutions. The obligations in questionare not moral requirements derived from general moral principles, as is often supposed, but a matter of one's participation in a special kind of commitment: joint commitment. An agreement is sufficient but not necessary to generate such a commitment. Gilbert uses the phrase 'plural subject' to referto all of those who are jointly committed in some way. She therefore labels the theory offered in this book the plural subject theory of political obligation.The author concentrates on the exposition of this theory, carefully explaining how and in what sense joint commitments obligate. She also explores a classic theory of political obligation --- actual contract theory --- according to which one is obligated to conform to the laws of one's country because one agreed to do so. She offers a new interpretation of this theory in light of a theory of plural subject theory of agreements. She argues that actual contract theory has more merit than has beenthought, though the more general plural subject theory is to be preferred. She compares and contrasts plural subject theory with identification theory, relationship theory, and the theory of fair play. She brings it to bear on some classic situations of crisis, and, in the concluding chapter,suggests a number of avenues for related empirical and moral inquiry.Clearly and compellingly written, A Theory of Political Obligation will be essential reading for political philosophers and theorists.

Living Together

Living Together
Author: Margaret Gilbert
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
Total Pages: 431
Release: 1996-09-19
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 146163900X

Following up her landmark work On Social Facts, this collection of essays by noted social philosopher Margaret Gilbert develops and deepens her theory of social groups as 'plural subjects.' She asks, how far can our rationality take us when we pursue our personal goals? What does it mean to be a member of a group? Does group membership involve obligations and rights, and, if so, how? Gilbert argues that, in order to understand the social dimensions of human life, we must go beyond the prevailing 'game theoretic' picture of people acting as independent individuals, to incorporate their situation as group members, or plural subjects bound together by joint commitments. Her new theory of obligation will be of interest to scholars engaged in empirical research as well as to philosophers and social and political theorists.

From Individual to Collective Intentionality

From Individual to Collective Intentionality
Author: Sara Rachel Chant
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Total Pages: 241
Release: 2014-04
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 0199936501

Acting together requires collective intentions. The contributions to this volume seek to critically assess or to enrich theories of collective intentionality by exploring topics such as collective belief, mutual coordination, and the explanation of group behavior.

Life in Groups

Life in Groups
Author: Margaret Gilbert
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Total Pages: 351
Release: 2023-01-18
Genre: Philosophy
ISBN: 0192847155

Life in Groups: How We Think, Feel, and Act Together develops and applies the author's perspective on topics to do with joint commitment. This kind of commitment unifies those who participate in it, guides their actions going forward, and determines their relations to one another in important ways. In particular, it grounds in each of the parties a set of rights and obligations of a particular kind. Thirteen essays are gathered in this volume, together with a substantial introduction, which serves both to explain joint commitment for those unfamiliar with it and to advance discussion in light of some questions it has prompted, and a reflective conclusion. The essays range over collective beliefs and intentions; rational choice and preference; group lies and corporate misbehavior; remorse and other emotions; rights, obligations, and freedom.

The Routledge Handbook of Collective Responsibility

The Routledge Handbook of Collective Responsibility
Author: Saba Bazargan-Forward
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
Total Pages: 539
Release: 2020-04-19
Genre: Philosophy
ISBN: 135160757X

The Routledge Handbook of Collective Responsibility comprehensively addresses questions about who is responsible and how blame or praise should be attributed when human agents act together. Such questions include: Do individuals share responsibility for the outcome or are individuals responsible only for their contribution to the act? Are individuals responsible for actions done by their group even when they don’t contribute to the outcome? Can a corporation or institution be held morally responsible apart from the responsibility of its members? The Handbook’s 35 chapters—all appearing here for the first time and written by an international team of experts—are organized into four parts: Part I: Foundations of Collective Responsibility Part II: Theoretical Issues in Collective Responsibility Part III: Domains of Collective Responsibility Part IV: Applied Issues in Collective Responsibility Each part begins with a short introduction that provides an overview of issues and debates within that area and a brief summary of its chapters. In addition, a comprehensive index allows readers to better navigate the entirety of the volume’s contents. The result is the first major work in the field that serves as an instructional aid for those in advanced undergraduate courses and graduate seminars, as well as a reference for scholars interested in learning more about collective responsibility.

The Philosophy and Psychology of Commitment

The Philosophy and Psychology of Commitment
Author: John Michael
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 90
Release: 2021-11-14
Genre: Philosophy
ISBN: 1351618644

The phenomenon of commitment is a cornerstone of human social life. Commitments make individuals’ behavior predictable, thereby facilitating the planning and coordination of joint actions involving multiple agents. Moreover, commitments make people willing to rely upon each other, and thereby contribute to sustaining characteristically human social institutions such as jobs, money, government and marriage. However, it is not well understood how people identify and assess the level of their own and others’ commitments. The Philosophy and Psychology of Commitment explores and explains the philosophical and cognitive intricacies of commitment. John Michael considers how commitments motivate us and their often implicit and tacit nature. To flesh out the philosophical framework of his argument he draws on experimental work with young children, adults and human-robot interaction within the context of joint action, considering the role of the emotions and whether very young children are sensitive to commitment. Providing an important account of the nature and operation of commitment, this book is essential reading for those working in philosophy of psychology, cognitive science, experimental philosophy, and social and developmental psychology. It will also be of interest to those working in emerging fields such as human-robot interaction and behavioural economics.

On the Edge of Commitment

On the Edge of Commitment
Author: Stephen Lawrence Morgan
Publisher: Stanford University Press
Total Pages: 276
Release: 2005
Genre: Education
ISBN: 9780804744195

This book offers a new model of educational achievement to explain why some students are committed to preparation for college.