In his The Construction of Social Reality, John Searle defends a view of social objects – crimes, weddings, trials, presidents, priests, apologies, symphonies – as products of belief. If everyone believes that this piece of green paper is money, then it is money. If everyone believes that this woman is the president, then she is the president. Such beliefs depend on language. Animals do not have anything our social reality, Searle argues, because animals do not have language.

We shall examine the strengths and weaknesses of Searle's theory in order to provide a better account of the relations between society, culture, language and belief. We shall address such phenomena as art and artworks, race and ethnicity, regional, national and global culture, war, conquest, and migration.

The required text for the course is

John R. Searle, The Construction of Social Reality , New York: Free Press, 1995.

Supplementary reading:

Gilbert, Margaret 1989 On Social Facts , New York: Routledge, Chapman and Hall

Gilbert, Margaret 1993 "Group Membership and Political Obligation", The Monist, 76, 119-131

and also the following items from Professor Smith's website:

Social Objects I,  II

An Essay on Material Necessity

Agglomerations

Fiat Objects

          The Cognitive Geometry of War

Each student will be required to produce two papers, the first to be completed by October 25, the second by November 27. To receive an A for this class students must participate regularly and actively in class discussions and submit both papers in a timely manner.