Social Categories are Natural Kinds, not Objective Types (and Why it Matters Politically)
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 2436477 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Theodore Bach (0000-0003-3638-2365, Bowling Green State University, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2016 |
| Volume | 2 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 177-201 |
| Publication date | 2016-08-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Journal of Social Ontology (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2196-9663 • E-ISSN: 2196-9655 |
| Publisher | Walter de Gruyter GmbH (PUBLISHER • DE) |
| DOI | 10.1515/jso-2015-0039 |
| OpenAlex | W2517714288 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 6 |
| References cited | 15 |
There is growing support for the view that social categories likemenandwomenrefer to "objective types." An objective type is a similarity class for which the axis of similarity is an objective rather than nominal or fictional property. Such types are independently real and causally relevant, yet their unity does not derive from an essential property. Given this tandem of features, it is not surprising why empirically-minded researchers interested in fighting oppression and marginalization have found this ontological category so attractive: objective types have the ontological credentials to secure the reality (and thus political representation) of social categories, and yet they do not impose exclusionary essences that also naturalize and legitimize social inequalities. This essay argues that, from the perspective of these political goals of fighting oppression and marginalization, the category of objective types is in fact a Trojan horse; it looks like a gift, but it ends up creating trouble. I argue that objective type classifications often lack empirical adequacy, and as a result they lack political adequacy. I also provide, and in reference to the normative goals described above, several arguments for preferring a social ontology of natural kinds with historical essences
Epistemology · Natural (archaeology · Normative · Ontology · Oppression · Perspective (graphical · Political science · Politics · Property (philosophy · Sociology · Computer Science · Feminist Epistemology and Gender Studies · Gender Politics and Representation · Law · Philosophy · Political Philosophy and Ethics · Psychology · Social Psychology
| Unique citing works | 6 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0,75 |
| Citation span | 2018 - 2024 (7) |
| Citation velocity | recent |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 6 |