Philosophy of the social world

We don't live our lives as isolated individuals. Instead, we exist as part of many overlapping social groups. These groups themselves come in many kinds: families, corporations, classes, nationalities, genders, and many more. These groups deeply shape our opportunities and the paths we take in life. They shape how we interact with others, and how others interact with us.

Social philosophy involves philosophical inquiry into these phenomena, and so includes areas of philosophy such as, for example, social ontology, feminist philosophy, critical race theory, and philosophy of disability. Some of the questions you will explore in this unit concern what, if anything, makes these groups the groups that they are; what obligations, if any, are held by groups themselves; what the effects are of being a member of various groups, or of being seen as a member; and what responsibilities we find ourselves with as a result of living in a society so shaped by social categories.