Lomax, Jake (2026) What's in a System? An Actor-Level Ontology for Understanding Social Change. [Preprint]

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Abstract

Abstract. The concept of a social system is central across the social sciences, yet what social systems are made of lacks consistent specification. This paper proposes an ontology in which social causation operates through actor-level resource states: resources, decisions, and actions. Two analytically distinct processes coexist: system operation, in which actions transform resources, and behavior change, in which resource changes transform action. Conflating them obscures how change occurs. The micro-macro relationship is constitutive rather than causal. The paper tests the framework against power asymmetries, feedback dynamics, tipping points, and emergence, finding each accountable in actor-level terms.

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Item Type:	Preprint
Creators:	Creators Email ORCID Lomax, Jake jakelomax@gmail.com 0000-0001-9782-4433
Keywords:	social ontology, micro-macro relationship, behavior change, social systems, constitutive explanation
Subjects:	General Issues > Causation General Issues > Explanation General Issues > Reductionism/Holism
Depositing User:	Dr Jake Lomax
Date Deposited:	13 Mar 2026 12:32
Last Modified:	13 Mar 2026 12:32
Item ID:	28594
Official URL:	https://www.researchgate.net/publication/401931583...
DOI or Unique Handle:	10.13140/RG.2.2.13181.63201
Subjects:	General Issues > Causation General Issues > Explanation General Issues > Reductionism/Holism
Date:	13 March 2026
URI:	https://philsci-archive.pitt.edu/id/eprint/28594

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