Norms are a pervasive yet mysterious feature of social life. In Explaining Norms, four philosophers and social scientists team up to grapple with some of the many mysteries, offering a comprehensive account of norms: what they are; how and why they emerge, persist and change; and how they work. Norms, they argue, should be understood in non-reductive terms as clusters of normative attitudes that serve the function of making us accountable to one another--with the different kinds of norms (legal, moral, and social norms) differing in virtue of being constituted by different kinds of normative attitudes that serve to make us accountable in different ways. Explanations of and by norms should be seen as thoroughly pluralist in character. Explanations of norms should appeal to the ways that norms help us to pursue projects and goals, individually and collectively, as well as to enable us to constitute social meanings. Explanations by norms should recognise the multiplicity of ways in
which norms may bear upon the actions we perform, the attitudes we form and the modes of deliberation in which we engage: following, merely conforming with, and even breaching norms. While advancing novel and distinctive positions on all of these topics, Explaining Norms will also serve as a sourcebook with a rich array of arguments and illustrations for others to reassemble in ways of their own choosing.
Industry Reviews
Given the wide range of literatures discussed, readers are likely to find much of interest. * David K. Henderson, Ethics *
Explaining Norms is clearly written and easy to understand which makes it accessible to a wide range of audiences. The authors present compelling arguments for accepting or rejecting various theories about norms. The reader can easily follow which theory the authors are arguing for because the chapters and sections come with concise introductions that summarize the important points made in the previous chapter or section. I would recommend this book to readers who are interested in learning more about norms but who are unfamiliar with the literature, such as undergraduate students, because it gives a comprehensive account and provides a good introduction. * Ayesha Bhatti, Dialogue: Canadian Philosophical Review *
Explaining Norms is the work of a very smart band of philosophers. ... There are insightful discussions throughout, which include nice observations about bad norms, and how we might model internalizing and following norms. It is certainly a significant contribution to the emerging, and important, literature on norms. * Gerald Gaus, Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews *
rewarding and inventive -- it provides distinctive and intriguing views on several topics (e.g., on the distinction between moral and social norms). There are a lot of ideas here. Perhaps this is predictable, given that the work is a product of four capable minds. What is surprising is the range of ideas and arguments on which the authors manage to agree and out of which they construct one reasonably cohesive account. * David K. Henderson, Ethics *
Already by picking up this book, the reader knows she is in for an unusual treat. ... the present book represents joint work of no fewer than four philosophers, each bringing to bear their personal expertise. ... [W]hile primarily 'a book in the philosophy of social science' (p. 57), it draws on, and contributes to, an uncharacteristically large variety of debates, deftly weaving together novel insights from normative theory, philosophy of social science, legal philosophy, rational choice and economic theory, even sociology. The outcome is an extremely rich and comprehensive study of norms, their nature, function, genealogy, and explanatory significance; it puts forward an account that is as careful in detail as it is impressive in scope. * Yair Levy, Mind *
This is a book packed with ideas and a treasure trove of empirical examples and anecdotes. It will surely propel the debate about norms in the social sciences and philosophy. One particular strength of the book is the tight interaction between theory and practice. Booksellers and librarians will have a hard time deciding whether this book goes into the 'Economics', 'Politics', 'Sociology' or 'Philosophy section. It probably belongs in all four. In fact, Explaining Norms should be read widely by scholars and students of those and other disciplines. * Kai Spiekermann, Economics and Philosophy *
