Spiegel, Irina (2026) The Intentional Synchronization of Individuals Or: Do Groups Really Exist?

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Abstract

This paper opposes two accounts of human group behavior. On Tomasello's interdependence hypothesis, morality and other norms arise from the intentional synchronization of individuals and can be modeled aggregatively, without positing entities beyond individuals. Against this, List and Pettit defend groups as literal agents and collective persons. Their three arguments (from parsimony, from supervenience, and from collective responsibility) are shown to be merely pragmatic, or habitual, and none establishes the existence of group agents. Group phenomena are better understood as the synchronized behavior of interdependent individuals.

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Item Type:	Published Article or Volume
Creators:	Creators Email ORCID Spiegel, Irina irina.spiegel@lrz.uni-muenchen.de
Keywords:	group agency; collective intentionality; judgment aggregation; supervenience; collective responsibility; methodological individualism
Subjects:	Specific Sciences > Anthropology General Issues > Natural Kinds
Depositing User:	Dr. Irina Spiegel
Date Deposited:	17 Jun 2026 07:34
Last Modified:	17 Jun 2026 07:34
Item ID:	30198
Subjects:	Specific Sciences > Anthropology General Issues > Natural Kinds
Date:	16 June 2026
URI:	https://philsci-archive.pitt.edu/id/eprint/30198

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