New Books in Sociology

Charlotte Witt, "Social Goodness: The Ontology of Social Norms" (Oxford UP, 2023)

Mar 5, 2024

Charlotte Witt discusses the nature and normativity of social norms, drawing insights from artisanal practices. The podcast explores the subtleties of social norms, gender roles, internalism vs externalism debates, excellence in artisanal work, and hierarchical relationships in societal structures.

01:07:46

Episode guests

Charlotte Witt

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Episode notes

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

Social norms arise from artisanal practices, shaping roles and expectations without personal choice.

Critical perspectives can coexist within social norms through know-how and know-why pairings.

Social roles allow for self-creation and challenge hierarchical structures, offering potential for systemic change.

Deep dives

Criticism and Habituations

In the chapter discussing the accommodation of critical perspectives within the artisanal model, focus is placed on how individuals habituated to social norms can have space for critical appraisal. One aspect highlighted is the pairing of know-how and know-why, where expertise enables understanding and improvement within established norms.

Introduction

3min

Unveiling the Subtleties of Social Norms

11min

Exploring Social Positions and Norms: A Philosophical Inquiry

3min

Navigating Social Norms: Internalism vs Externalism

23min

Exploring Excellence and Caring in Artisanal Work

3min

Rethinking Social Ontology Through Artisanal Model of Norms

18min

Exploring Hierarchical Relationships and Social Structures

4min

In our day-to-day lives, we are subject to normative requirements, obligations, and expectations that originate in the social roles we occupy. For example, professors ought to pursue the truth, while parents ought to be supportive of their children. What’s interesting is that these role-specific requirements seem to befall us. We do not choose them. This raises the puzzle of what accounts for their normativity.

In Social Goodness: The Ontology of Social Norms (Oxford University Press 2023), Charlotte Witt proposes a novel and intriguing conception of the nature of social norms and the source of their normativity. The centerpiece of her account is the idea that we must look to various examples of artisanal practices, dispositions, and techniques to understand social norms.

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New Books in Sociology

Charlotte Witt, "Social Goodness: The Ontology of Social Norms" (Oxford UP, 2023)

Episode guests

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

Deep dives

Criticism and Habituations

Artistic Self-Creation

Addressing Hierarchy and Oppression

Ongoing Philosophical Reflections

Concluding Remarks

Remember Everything You Learn from Podcasts